


Time and Again

by bookscape



Category: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-09-06 22:44:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 62,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20299165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookscape/pseuds/bookscape
Summary: When the Earth Directorate decides to use a galactic 'terraforming' company to reclaim some of the destroyed parts of Earth, Buck is called in to help determine what would look best around New Chicago. Someone has a different agenda and Buck realizes there is something sinister going on. This is the first in a series of stories about Buck and his friends.





	1. Chapter 1

**What  
** would it be like to be totally displaced, ripped from all that you know  
and all those you knew and loved? That is the undercurrent of this story,  
which takes place shortly after the episodes "Testimony of a  
Traitor" and "The Dorian Secret." While the second  
season was set on the exploration ship, _Searcher_, this story take  
place on Earth, during a time when the crew is enjoying a bit of R  
& R on the home planet. This is also a tale of betrayal and  
discovery. And triumph.  


**Buck, Wilma, Dr. Huer, Dr. Theopolis, Twiki, Hawk and all the other members of the Buck Rogers universe belong to Universal and whoever else owns the rights to the Buck Rogers character. Njobo, Mabosu, Aberi, Breeshnar, Foreenizor and all the others are creations of my warped brain..... you can borrow them, but please ask first, okay? The information on the BaMbuti came from several sources, but mainly from a book called The Forest People by Colin M. Turnbull, an anthropologist who stayed with the Ituri forest people for several years.**

**I formed my supposition that Buck's parents might have known about the accusation of his treason on several things, my knowledge of the U.S. military and government based on twenty plus years experience as a military brat, and various readings. I will let you judge for yourselves if you think my theories are in the realm of possibility. **

**I base my judgment on Buck's psychological thought processes on experiences of my past along with basic psychology. I don't think I am far off base that a. someone in Buck's position would have a difficult time adjusting, at times with more difficulty than at others (re Alvin Toffler's Future Shock.) b. humor is a very viable and common way of adjusting to extremes of stress, (okay, so Buck was a smart aleck at times), c. and that guilt, even deeply buried guilt, will affect relationships that would otherwise seem very clear-cut, open, and inevitable.**

**So with that said, I hope you all enjoy the story. **

**  
**

_ **“Somewhere deep in the jungle are living some little men and women.They are our past, and maybe . . . maybe they are our future.”** _ **Eric Mouquet/Michel Sanchez.Deep Forest, Celine Music. CD.**

**  
**

**Sunday, June 14, 2493**

**  
**

**Dad,** ****

**  
**

**I just returned from what used to be the old neighborhood.It amazes me how much continues to stand.Even after all this time.I remember my last visit home, my last real visit.It seems so real to me.Like it was yesterday.Sometimes I look out from the outer platform of the Inner City and I feel I am looking at a dream world, something that will not be there in the morning when I wake up.I think I should be out at Bon Marché buying Christmas presents early this year and then I laugh because I never bought presents early for anyone, except maybe Mom, and that was only occasionally.Everything like that was last minute for me.I think Mom almost fainted the year I gave her a birthday present on her birthday and not a couple of days later like I usually did.She cried, for Pete’s sake!I couldn’t believe that.Remember, Dad, I told you I wasn’t ever going to do that again.I was just going to give her a bigger present late next time.That was one of the few times you laughed, really laughed, then you threw your arm around my shoulder and hugged me.You can’t imagine how much that meant to me.**

**  
**

**And just before my launch.Do you remember standing on that beach watching the moon rise, listening to the surf crash on the rocks, splash our feet and then recede?Do you remember what you said?“William,” you said, and then you looked at me with that broad smile of yours.I remember how Mom used to say that I had the same grin.I also remember how it made you as mad as hell when she said that.“He does not!” you would retort.I don’t think you ever enjoyed being reminded that we were so much alike.Maybe that was why we didn’t get along as much as we should have.Right now, I even miss the squabbles we had.**

**  
**

**But that time on the beach, that is so vivid in my mind, so real and so very precious to me. “I guess I am the only one who doesn’t call you Buck, am I?” you said to me.Yeah, you were the only holdout, but that’s okay.I sure didn’t mind.“William, I never wanted you to join the Air Force.”Understatement, Dad.BIG understatement.Let’s be blunt, you were mad enough to chew nails and spit them out.You wanted me to be a lawyer, a doctor, a professor (me, a professor?I can’t believe you even suggested that.Yeah, right, lucky Buck, the scourge of the dorm crap games), a CPA, a banker, anything but a fly-boy.“Get yourself killed in some forsaken desert country fighting camels and pocket dictators,” you told me the day I left for the academy.And then you remembered something else while the sand was forming around our toes…. “And that day we were visiting Marilyn and her family, and you buzzed over her house in Pueblo in that fighter jet,” you said.“I was not only ready to sue the government; I was ready to disown you.I still can’t believe you did that.”Just for the record, Dad, I can’t believe I did that, either.I caught hell from everyone from the CO on down to the line attendant.“But you’ve done good, and I’m proud of you,” you said next.I almost cried right then and there, but an astronaut going up on top of one of the biggest, most powerful rockets in the world can’t cry.Not even in front of his father.But I want you to know just how elated I felt then.Elated?I felt I had died and gone to heaven.You were proud of me.Me!Your black sheep son, the most obstinate kid you had.(By your own admission.)Oh, Dad, that time on the beach can never be taken away from me.Five hundred years didn’t strip that experience from my mind, and nothing ever will.I knew then that you loved me, always had, always would.**

**There were times, though, when I was young and foolish -- guess some things never change—(I believe my CO in New Chicago has told me a few times how foolish I am--), when I wondered.You always seemed upset with me.But then, I guess I deserved your wrath on occasion.Like the woofers.I can’t believe you were so upset with my new woofers that you actually came out to my car and shot out one of them the day I tested them.**

**  
**

**I guess I was foolish then, too foolish to realize that fathers and sons don’t always get along, or agree, or even like each other.But the good fathers always love their children and you were a good one, Dad.**

**I look up at the austere walls of my apartment and sometimes think that I am going to get some paint and paint a window on a wall, one with a sunset like those we occasionally watched from the top of the Sears Tower.Maybe I’ll paint the walls four different colors.That drove you nuts, didn’t it, Dad, back when I was in high school?Black on one wall, with stars and the most garish comet ever dreamed of, another one was white, like an Antarctic landscape, the third one was a rainforest, and the last wall was red and yellow, like some weird planet.All the places I wanted to explore.Well, Dad, I have visited that weird landscape.I have flown among the stars, I have been on a frozen world where everything was white and I have been on a world of steaming jungles.I have soared beyond my wildest dreams, beyond time, through space.I have met people that before only inhabited the over-active imagination of my youth.One of my best friends is a birdman, another is a computer quad and another is an ambu-quad drone.Col. Wilma Deering is human.And don’t go getting any funny ideas, Mom, we work together and she is my friend, nothing more.**

**  
**

**I have gone so far beyond what I expected of my life that it sometimes seems surreal, and yet it’s my reality now.I suppose it was my destiny.That was something else you told me on the beach.“You were never meant to be bound on Earth, son,” you said.You looked at me with those eyes filled with pride and love and added, “I suppose I was just afraid to let you go, William.But you know, you had already gone there in your dreams a long, long time ago.”I guess I had.And I have met that destiny.I now belong to a world that is the same and yet so different, a world half a millennium away from what I grew up in.**

**  
**

**But I miss you.I miss you and Mom and Marilyn and Frank.I miss my nieces and nephews, my friends, my buddies.Sometimes, I think I will walk out of this wondrous city and walk through the front steps of yours and Mom’s old house, the brownstone, not the place you bought in the suburbs, and smell her cookies.She made the best chocolate chip cookies in the world.I wish I had one now.**

**  
**

**I can’t help but feel guilty at the pain you must have felt when the news reported the loss of the Ranger.I feel so helpless that all of you thought I was a traitor.Yeah, I know I have been told that this was a deep, dark secret, but somehow I know you knew.You died thinking I had caused the holocaust that eventually killed you and so many others.And I am angry that the feelings you had for me before the launch were wiped out with a single bit of false information.The shame you must have felt, it is almost too much to bear. **

**  
**

**And I was out there oblivious to everything, feeling absolutely no pain.I’m fine now.I survived.But you?All of you were headed for a conflagration of the most horrible imagining.And I was oblivious.Dad, I hope you and Mom didn’t suffer too much.I wish I could have been there with you.I truly do.I know, I have been told many times I can’t go back into the past.I guess I really don’t want to, but I sure wish I could go back just long enough to let you know that I’m okay and to assure you that I am no traitor.**

**  
**

**I was at the gravesite today.Theo told me that you folks were lucky; most didn’t even have burials or headstones.Maybe that was destiny, too.Being able to visit you and Mom has made this new life of mine more real.I cleared the weeds and left a rose.You know, Mom’s favorite color, Tropicana.Funny isn’t it?Civilization can go to hell in a hand basket, but they still have Tropicana roses.Despite the fact that the neighborhood isn’t the greatest anymore, I plan on coming out and visiting whenever I can.But the rest of the time you all will be in my heart.**

**  
**

**Dad, I wish there was a way to let you know I love you.And Mom.And everyone else.But then I guess you already know that.I guess you know what is in my heart.** ****

**  
**

**Thanks, Dad.For everything.**

**  
**

**Happy Father’s Day.**

**  
**

**Your loving son,** ****

**  
**

**Buck**

** ** ****

**  
**

**Laying aside the pen, Captain William Anthony ‘Buck’ Rogers leaned back in his chair, stretching his long legs in front of him.He closed his eyes and ran his hand through his dark reddish-brown hair.He wouldn’t mind flying over the Grand Canyon with Hawk right now, or at least what was left of it, but he had been told of a possible assignment in the near future, so he opted to stay in New Chicago while his friend explored the mountains of North America.A small chime warned him of visitors.Not that he was really interested in any visitors right now, but he knew that if it was any of his friends, they would most likely worry about him if he refused to see anyone right now.If it was a messenger or casual visitor, it wouldn’t matter anyway.**

**  
**

**Opening his eyes, he murmured, “Identification.”A small panel next to the door lit up red letters, ‘Dr. Theopolis and Twiki.’Leave it to Theo to come visit him now, Buck thought.The computer quad was the one that had confiscated a pen from the museum, studied it and then had a duplicate made, this one with ink.Paper was slightly easier to find.Theo had a bit of trouble understanding why he wanted to write something with primitive utensils, but finally quit asking when Buck promised a future explanation.Funny thing was, he couldn’t quite understand it himself.But it felt right doing this on a piece of paper and not on the portable hand-held laptops that everyone carried around the Inner City.**

**  
**

**“Door’s open,” Buck called out, still in his relaxed position.He closed his eyes again, hearing the door swoosh open and the little drone, Twiki walk into the room.**

**  
**

**“Hello, Buck.Was the pen Twiki brought you satisfactory?” Theo asked in his soft, always pleasantly modulated voice.**

**  
**

**“Perfect, Theo,” Buck answered, still not opening his eyes.**

**  
**

**“And you were able to accomplish what you wanted to do with them?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes.”Although Buck would have preferred a bit of solitude right now, he couldn’t help half-baiting the quad, while at the same time appreciating Theo’s interest in his welfare.And most of the time, baiting Theo was very easily accomplished by saying nothing.From the time he had been awakened in this century so far removed from his own, Theo and Twiki had stood by and supported him.And believed him.He knew that Theo was concerned about him right now, and realistically, Buck knew that there was good reason for it.He had been depressed ever since the war crime trial a couple of months before.And now he was back home.Or what passed as home.He sighed.** ****

**  
**

**Twiki beeped.Buck was almost one hundred percent sure he knew what the drone had said even before he said it in English.“Yeah, I’m all right, Twiki.”** ****

**  
**

**“I beg to differ, Captain Rogers.You are not, as you would say, your old self.” **

**  
**

**Buck said nothing for several minutes.Theo also chose to say nothing.The computer, while still not totally understanding this man from the twentieth century, did understand enough to realize that some kind of explanation would be forthcoming eventually.From the beginning, the Computer Councilman had been drawn to this anomaly from the past.He had seen Buck’s confused and bewildering behavior for just the thing it was, the attempt of a displaced man to cope with a culture and society totally foreign to him. Only once had he doubted his estimation of Buck Rogers and that had been quickly rectified.For the two years that Buck had been among them, he had appeared to be acclimatizing quite well.At least he had been until the war crime trial, where Buck had been accused of starting the Great Holocaust.**

**Buck continued to say nothing, still reclining in what one might assume was a very relaxed position.Theo doubted that such was the case.“I am concerned that the recent trial has upset you more than you would care to admit,” the computer finally ventured.**

**  
**

**Sitting up and fixing the drone and the computer quad with a steady gaze, Buck smiled slightly.“Anyone tell you that you possess the gift of understatement, Theo?”** ****

**  
**

**“No, I can’t say that anyone has.” **

**  
**

**“Well, I am,” Buck replied and then fell silent for a moment.Twiki was unusually silent right now.Theo must have subsonically warned him to keep quiet.“I would suppose you would like to know what I wanted a pen and paper for.”**

**“Yes, but with you, I have had to learn to be patient.You promised an explanation sometime in the future and you have never broken your promises to me,” Theo said.** ****

**  
**

**Sitting up, Buck picked up the paper and folded it in half and then in half again.He got up and walked over to a small cabinet recessed into one wall, where he placed the letter inside.With a push of a button, a panel slid over the opening, hiding the cabinet from casual view.Turning to Theo and Twiki, he finally said, “I wrote a letter to my father.”** ****

**  
**

**“I do not understand, Buck.Your father is dead.”** ****

**  
**

**“That doesn’t make any difference.I just wanted to say some things that I would say if he were here, and the best way to do that, for me, anyway, was to write it down,” Buck explained.**

**  
**

**“Does it bother you that your relatives might have known about this accusation before they died?”** ****

**  
**

**Buck frowned, feeling his anger and frustration build again.“Hell, yes!And I know they knew.I know my time well, Theo.”** ****

**  
**

**“But if that was the case, surely they knew you as well as we know you,” Theo said softly.**

**  
**

**Twiki beeped his reassurance.“You’re all right in my book, Buck.”** ****

**  
**

**“Thanks, Twiki.And yeah, Theo, I would hope so, but then you people weren’t that sure about me either.”Buck began to pace.**

**  
**

**“Maybe the tribunal wasn’t sure, but I always was,” Theo said emphatically.** ****

**  
**

**Again Twiki beeped and spoke his wholehearted support of his friend.**

**  
**

**Buck stopped pacing and put his hand on the drone’s shoulder.“Thanks, guys.I appreciate that.And this is temporary.It will pass.”** ****

**  
**

**“I believe you, Buck.You have always been able to-- what is that phrase you have used?-- bounce back.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck smiled and then chuckled softly.“I believe I am corrupting even you, Theo.”Twiki added his agreement.**

**  
**

**“I do not think I am being corrupted, I am only having my experiences enlarged,” Theo corrected his human friend.He was gratified when Buck began to laugh in earnest.**

**  
**

**===================================**

**  
**

**“I received this communiqué from the Lagrithians.They are willing to discuss terraforming with us,” Dr. Elias Huer, the leader of the Earth Directorate told Colonel Wilma Deering and her second in command, Major Brandon Orlov.He was an older man, his hair silver gray, but his eyes held the intensity and strength of youth.**

**  
**

**Theo sat on the table, listening.“That is good news, Dr. Huer.Perhaps with their expertise, we will be able to settle more tracts of land on the North American continent this year and then concentrate on rehabilitating the wastelands of Europe next.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes,” Huer said.He turned to Wilma.“You have had much experience lately dealing with alien species. You will head the group that will meet with and negotiate a suitable deal with these people.”**

**  
**

**“Where do we meet them, Doctor?” Wilma asked, not surprised at his request.Her lithe form was accentuated by her white uniform, her hair softly cascading to her shoulders.But the apparent beauty queen softness hid a steel hard determination that resided inside her soul.When on the job, she was all business and her business was to protect her homeland.**

**  
**

**“In orbit, not too far outside of our defense shield,” Huer responded.“Eventually, they will need to examine those places they will be working on, along with properties in our atmosphere.”** ****

**  
**

**Wilma felt relieved, but didn’t show it.At least she wouldn’t be heading into some far off sector of the galaxy for this job.She had been ready to return home for a while and wasn’t looking forward to leaving on another exploration mission for a month or two.“Did you wish me to pick a team to greet these Lagrithians, Doctor, or did you have individuals in mind already?” she asked.** ****

**  
**

**“I don’t think there needs to be many people involved in the initial phase.I believe that you, Buck, Theo and Twiki will be sufficient.You four have made a good team in the past,” the doctor said with a smile.“And besides, I want Buck to be the one they work with the most.He has the most experience on what various parts of Earth looked like in the past.”** ****

**  
**

**“Good point.We will talk to them, and if we feel they can help us, Buck can work out the details of the terraforming.”**

**  
**

**“Exactly.”Turning to the computer councilman, he asked formally, “Dr. Theopolis, would you be so kind as to relay our request to Captain Rogers?”** ****

**  
**

**“Of course, Dr. Huer, I would be glad to,” the quad replied.“Twiki?”With a beep, the drone took the computer counselor and hooked him back around his neck.Then the two left the room.**

**  
**

**“I am excited about the possibilities of this venture,” Huer said.**

**  
**

**“And it will hopefully make us less dependant on extraterrestrial imports,” Orlov commented.The other two nodded.**


	2. The Assignment

Theo finally caught up with Buck in the training center. His friend was sparring with another Directorate pilot, using long poles, or staves, as Buck had called them. The practice was fast and furious with each man scoring points and neither seeming to have a clear advantage. Sweat glistened on their bare torsos, and Buck’s hair hung down almost in his eyes. Their breath was coming in gasps and Theo could only assume that this bout had been going on for some time. Twiki couldn’t resist some well-placed encouragement for his friend. Theo directed the drone to stand by the wall, well away from the two competitors, until the session was finished. They didn’t have long to wait. Within a few minutes, both men agreed to call the match a draw. Buck stood bent over, panting, catching his breath. The other pilot, a black man named Morgan, leaned on his stick, doing the same. 

While both men took a few minutes to recover from their bout, Theo wondered why humans were so competitive that they would allow something to go to the point of exhaustion like this. He decided that it was just something that was. In the meantime, Twiki took each man a towel. “Good match, Buck!” he told his friend. 

“Thanks, Twiki,” Buck gasped, his eyes showing curiosity at the appearance of the drone and the quad in the training center. 

“Buck, that was some match,” Morgan said. “You’ve practiced a bit since we last worked out.”

“Let me just say that I had practice staying alive the past seven months. There’s some tough hombres out there in the galaxy,” Buck replied with a grin. He wiped the sweat off his face and pulled on his shirt. He gathered Morgan’s staff and put both his and his opponent’s away in the weapon’s rack. “But I thank you for a great workout. We’ll have to get together again sometime.” 

“I will consider that a challenge, Buck,” Morgan said.

“And next time I’ll whup you good,” Buck taunted good-naturedly. 

Morgan just gave a mock salute and sauntered out of the room. Buck laughed and then turned to the drone and the quad. “What’s up?” he asked.

“What does ‘whup’ mean, Buck?” Theo asked. 

“It means ‘kick butt’,” Buck replied, his voice teasing. “It’s slang. And I used the nice form.”

“It would appear that I asked the wrong question,” Theo returned dryly. “What does ‘kick butt’ mean?” 

Twiki beeped. “It means that Buck is going to beat him good next time.”

“Yes, yes, Twiki, I was beginning to get the impression that it had to do with beating one’s opponent.”

Buck laughed. “Twiki’s right, Theo. The next time we have a bout like that, I’m going to win.” Buck rubbed the back of his neck with the towel and then repeated his question, “What’s up, Theo. You usually don’t come down here.”

“You know that the Directorate has been attempting to terraform the Wastelands for some time,” Theo began.

“Uh, huh. Wilma told me,” Buck replied, his curiosity piqued. The sight of the Wastelands appalled him every time he saw them, mainly because he so vividly knew what the land had looked like in the past. His land, his home. The thought that the Directorate felt these lands could be reclaimed was heartening. “She said something about contacting a terraforming firm.”

“Yes, we did find a group that specializes in those kinds of jobs. Lagrithians have been doing this sort of thing for many years, beginning with their own planet. Dr. Huer has chosen Wilma to head a small delegation to meet their ship, check out what they have in mind and negotiate a deal with them.” 

“Sounds great. And I suppose you would like me to go with her?” said Buck, anticipating the computer councilman’s next sentence.

“Why, yes, Buck. Dr. Huer believes that you are the one person best qualified to work with the Lagrithians on the technical aspects of the project,” Theo stated.

“Best qualified? Me? What gave him that idea?”

“You lived on Earth when it wasn’t contaminated and wasted.”

Full comprehension dawned. “Ah, I get it. I can help them decide what an area should look like when it’s been terraformed.”

“Yes, Buck. And Twiki and I will round out the delegation. Dr. Huer felt that we four have worked well together in the past. We should do well in this assignment.” 

“Hmm, we do make a great team, don’t we?” Buck quipped.

“You got it, Buck!” Twiki quipped. 

“And this one is a nice sedate assignment,” Buck continued, ignoring the drone. “No Princess Ardala, no espionage.” 

“That is a very big advantage, too,” Theo agreed. 

Twiki beeped and then said, “Rest and relaxation!”

“Sure, I’ll do it. When do we leave?” Buck asked as they walked out of the room.

“The Lagrithians are scheduled to arrive in two solar days."

“Sounds like the Directorate was waiting til the last minute on this one, Theo,” Buck said, his voice teasing.

“The Directorate made initial contact, but wasn’t going to make any definite plans until they received a response from the Lagrithians, Captain Rogers,” Theo said almost reproachfully. “It would seem that these people were very confident about our intent or else they were already in the vicinity.”

“I understand, Theo. And look, I wasn’t trying to be critical,” Buck apologized. Most of the time the quad could tell when he was not totally serious, but sometimes Theo didn’t quite catch on. Even after two years, it was still hard to get these folks to lighten up, but at least he didn’t have to explain what he was saying as much as he used to, he thought wryly.

“Dr. Huer wants you and Wilma to meet with him to discuss just how much the Directorate wants the Lagrithians to accomplish for us in this contract,” Theo added.

“Now? Let me shower first, Theo. Tell him I’ll be there in about twenty minutes, okay?”

“Of course, Buck.” 

========================================

“So these Lagrithians come with pretty hefty credentials, right?” Buck asked. The older man in front of him, Dr. Huer, had just finished detailing the Lagrithian’s proposal.

“Yes, they do. I have studied the work they have done and it’s quite impressive,” Dr. Huer said. 

“Well, pardon me if I sound a bit negative, but since I’ve been around in this century, there have been a great number of shady characters trying to put one over on the Earth Directorate,” Buck replied. 

“See for yourself, Buck,” Wilma interjected, handing him a disk. “This shows some of their latest projects and the reports of those who have contracted with them.” 

“Who supplied this?” he asked cynically, holding up the disk. “The Lagrithians?”

“Yes, but we also did some independent queries of our own, Buck,” Dr. Huer said. “Why so hesitant about this?”

“I’m all for it, Doc, but I just want to be sure that these Lagrithians are on the up and up,” Buck explained. 

“Understandable, considering,” Dr. Huer said, nodding. “And although it seems as though this was a hastily conceived project, the Directorate has been looking into this since before your awakening. And when we first contacted these people, we also began checking on them with some of their galactic ‘neighbors’ as well as some of their clients.”

Buck shot a quick glance at Theo sitting on the table, Twiki standing nearby, but both the drone and the quad were quiet. “Well, sounds pretty good,” he said, deciding not to make an issue of one or both of them telling Dr. Huer some of his previous thoughts. 

“We want you to study the disk and the other materials we have and then you can form an unbiased opinion, Buck,” Dr. Huer said. “We definitely want you working on this, but only if you are comfortable with it.”

“Thanks, Doc. I’ll look this over right now.”

“I don’t think you’ll find anything amiss, Buck,” Wilma said. She smiled, excitement evident in the tone of her voice. “This is going to be good for the reclamation of Earth.” 

Her excitement was contagious and Buck was eager to view the information. Anything to get rid of the hideous Wastelands would be wonderful as far as he was concerned. As he slipped the disk into the computer in his apartment, he watched the variety of reclamation projects that these Lagrithians had done for other worlds and he was impressed. Immediately, Buck began to see the possibilities for area around New Chicago and understood Wilma’s excitement. This was terraforming on a grand and marvelous scale. Reclamation using floratats, they called it, and they worked closely with each planet’s experts to make the new landscapes as close to the older pristine lands as they could. 

On his own, Buck went down to the lab and used the memory probe to make a disk of areas that he best remembered from before the Great Holocaust. He remembered the beaches of Florida, the plains of his own home state, the rolling, green mountains of Tennessee and Virginia, the more rugged mountains of Colorado, the deserts of Arizona. He tried to remember the details and the more he remembered, the more excited he became. It would be good to sit under the sun out in the country, feeling grass under his feet and hearing birds twittering in the trees. And with more flora, there would be more oxygen, which would in turn increase the fauna. It was a win-win situation as far as Buck could see. 

========================

Two days later, Buck and Wilma rose through the defensive gate to meet the orbiting Lagrithians. Twiki and Theo sat in the back seat of Buck’s fighter, which flew not far from Wilma’s starboard wing-tip. It wasn’t long before the Lagrithian’s starship appeared on their scopes. 

“Holy mackerel, Wilma, are my readings right?” he asked. “If so, this thing is bigger than Princess Ardala’s flagship.”

“They must be right. I’m getting the same reading.”

“Greetings, Col. Deering, Capt. Rogers and Dr. Theopolis. We are expecting you. Please proceed to the docking bay indicated on your navigational system,” a voice intoned.

“Affirmative,” Wilma answered. 

Eagerly, Buck watched for the ship to come into his view. It didn’t take long. “That thing is huge!” he breathed. The ship consisted mainly of a central framework to which numerous large pods were attached. Looking at the data that was showing on his monitor, he noted that the smallest such construct was the size of a football field. They approached the aft pod, which was apparently the landing bay. Soon they were inside the starship and standing outside their fighters. 

A tall, thin humanoid with nut-brown skin and feathery hair met them. “Please, come with me.”

Buck touched the translator he was wearing in his right ear. Even though small and unobtrusive, it was still a bit uncomfortable, but he was told that this was the best means of communication with the musical voiced Lagrithians. Even with the translator, he could hear the melodious lilt of their words. What they used as translation devices was unknown to him. But what had continually amazed Buck was the extent that ‘terra-lingua’ had spread through the galaxy and even beyond. The use of a translator was extremely rare. Most peoples he had run into used the formal type of English that everyone in New Chicago spoke. 

They walked down a long corridor and stepped into an elevator or transport of some kind and Buck felt the gentle motion of their passage. Very soon he felt the motion cease and the door opened showing a vista that all but took his breath away. He stepped out, his eyes large in awe, to something that he would never have believed if he wasn’t here viewing it.

“It’s beautiful,” Wilma breathed next to him. Amazement was evident in her voice as well. For once Dr. Theopolis was silence. 

“This is some view,” Twiki spoke for them all.


	3. Chapter 3

**The vista stretching before them was spectacular and Buck Rogers felt himself holding his breath in amazement.Although he knew that the room before him was no larger than an NFL football field, his eyes and mind were telling him that it was endless, stretching to a far terrestrial horizon.**

**  
**

**“This is beautiful,” Wilma murmured.“To think that Earth could look like this.”** ****

**  
**

**“Let’s not be greedy, Wilma.I would be happy for the way it was five hundred years ago. You know, a bit of smog, long lines in the grocery store, the things that make life interesting.”He paused and felt the inanity of what he had just said.“This is like Paradise,” he added in a more serious tone.“I would think that perfection would become boring, but after seeing this, I don’t think so.”Despite his wisecracks, though, he was impressed with what the Lagrithians had accomplished.**

**  
**

**“This is a duplicate of what we have done on our own world of Lagrith,” their hostess said.** ****

**  
**

**‘This’ was a panorama of gently rolling hills, each covered with a bluish-green, almost golf green type grass.Red, blue, yellow and white flowers waved gently on slender stalks.The generated breeze carried a slight whiff that reminded Buck of freshly mowed grass and spring rain.He smelled a heady but not overwhelming floral scent.The soft light made him want to lie out on the grass and take a nap.Along one side of the ‘terra’ formed chamber a small creek flowed over vari-colored rocks, gurgling and splashing merrily.Several types of trees lined the creek, some small with tiny limbs covered with purplish colored moss.Others, some with silvery bark and rust hued leaves, hung slender limbs over the icy blue water.The sound of the water was calming and like everything else in the chamber, soothed the senses and pleased the eye.**

**  
**

**“Surely you are not serious, Buck.With only a few modifications, this would be very much what we need on Earth,” Theo said.**

**  
**

**“Of course I wasn’t serious, Theo,” Buck replied.“It is beautiful.”He gazed at the area before him with intense longing.It took him back again, just as his letter had, to a time not long before his launch when he had spent the afternoon in a park with his family.It was not as lush green as this, but he remembered the warm sun, the breeze blowing through the palms and eucalyptus, bringing the heady tang of salt air to the picnic area, which was near a beach.Buck sighed lustily and let his memories continue.**

**  
**

**His mother spread out tablecloths on two picnic tables.Buck even remembered their color, a blue and white checked one and a red and white checked one.The paper plates had a space motif, with planets and stars and space ships.One of the ships resembled his own Ranger class ship. **

**  
**

**She had brought the fixings for hoagies, something that had been his favorite in Chicago.Someone had told him that you could find anything in Florida and Buck had found that to be true.His mother had bought salamis and cheeses that rivaled anything in a Chicago deli.All the condiments sat in plates awaiting the ritual building of a Rogers’ hoagie, one that was almost too big to put one’s mouth around.His father built a huge sandwich and then took a bite.**

**  
**

**“James!” his mother cried out.“You know we say grace first.”Buck had grinned broadly at the time.This was almost an everyday occurrence when he was growing up.He figured Dad did it mainly to aggravate his mother.**

**  
**

**His father had looked at him, suddenly serious and said, “You say it, William.”** ****

**  
**

**After eating, Buck had taken his young nieces and nephews to the beach. Laughing, he had tossed eight-year-old William into the surf and then leaped in after him. It had been a glorious day, one that preceded the much anticipated launch that he had spent so much time training for.** ****

**  
**

**“Buck, are you all right?” Wilma asked, bringing him out of his reverie.She was worried about her companion’s recent bouts of moodiness, some of which seemed to border on depression.She felt for him and wished that he would confide in her, if nothing else to relieve whatever it was he was bottling up inside.Wilma ached for him.**

**  
**

**He shook his head, reluctantly coming back to the present.“Yeah, I’m fine, Wilma,” he assured her.“Just remembering.”** ****

**  
**

**“You may walk around, experience what we have created,” the Lagrithian said softly.**

**  
**

**Her emerald green eyes were large and luminous, but soft, almost like the eyes of a doe, Buck thought.She was tall and willowy, almost as tall as he was.She resembled a slender tree, a sapling, supple and pliant, her fingers long, thin and expressive.Her skin was almost like that of a smooth bark, nut brown, but soft.Her nose and mouth, however, seemed almost Grecian and she was smiling at him.“You are preparing to buy our services and expertise.You must be able to use all tactile facilities to make a judgment,” she added.** ****

**  
**

**Buck walked out on the slightly spongy surface, knelt down and felt the ‘grass.’He strode down to the creek and stood on the bank.Then he sat down, and on a whim, pulled off his flight boots and socks and stuck his feet in the water.“Yow!” he cried. “This is cold!”** ****

**  
**

**“We can increase the temperature, if you prefer,” the Lagrithian said softly.**

**  
**

**Buck laughed.“No, no, it’s fine.This is just like when I was in Colorado,” he said.“Any fish in here?Sure wouldn’t mind doing some fishing.”** ****

**  
**

**“Fish?” the Lagrithian asked, puzzled.Then comprehension dawned.“We did not provide for fauna.We leave that up to our customers to add to the reestablished land forms.”** ****

**  
**

**Wilma sat down next to Buck, but chose not to check out the water as he had.She gazed surreptitiously at her comrade.**

**  
**

**“I will leave you so you can enjoy the floritat,” the Lagrithian told them.** ****

**  
**

**“Thank you, um . . . what is your name?” Buck asked, somewhat ashamed he hadn’t asked before.** ****

**  
**

**“I am Breearth,” she said, bowing slightly and then turning and gliding out of the room.** ****

**  
**

**Buck wiggled his toes and then shivered and pulled his feet out of the water.He let the warm breeze dry them off before putting his socks and boots back on.** ****

**  
**

**“Buck,” Wilma began, when she had waved Twiki and Dr. Theopolis away.**

**  
**

**“Hmm?”** ****

**  
**

**“You know, when we returned back home, I was happy.It’s wonderful to be able to visit the stars, searching, exploring and being able to see other worlds, but I was glad to be back home, too,” she said.Buck nodded, but said nothing. Wilma knew she might be treading into territory Buck didn’t want to explore, but she felt she had to.“But you seem to me to be exhibiting the sure signs of homesickness even though we have returned home.”** ****

**  
**

**Sighing, Buck turned to her.“I thought I had totally gotten used to my new life, this era, but I still can’t help but yearn for a bit of my home, even though I know that’s impossible.I don’t know.It’s kind of strange, wanting to be part of something so badly, but somehow still not being able to.”He paused a moment.“Am I making sense?I sometimes dream that I am walking down State Street-- as it was, not as it is now.I see the beaches, mountains and plains as they were, not the slag heaps some of them became.”**

**  
**

**“You are making perfect sense, Buck,” Wilma said.“I can’t begin to imagine what it would be like to be jerked from one era to another, to something so totally different.”She, too, paused, then added, “The Directorate wanted you to help with this project for accuracy sake, because you actually know what it was like before the Great Holocaust.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yeah, I know.”** ****

**  
**

**“We want what you had, Buck.We want it badly, but if it will be too difficult for you….”** ****

**  
**

**“No, I really do want to help,” he replied.“This is just something that I have to work out in my head, Wilma.”He stood and gazed around him.“I, too, would like to see Earth as it was.Like it was at its best.”** ****

**  
**

**Wilma got up and joined him, following when he began to aimlessly wander the floritat.There was something that drew her to this man, there always had been, even when he was annoying.She mentally smiled.And he could be so annoying, she thought.There were times, though, when she wished that Buck was capable of a monogamous relationship.Most of the time, though, she realized that neither of them was ready for that.She was more or less married to her work, while Buck . . . Buck was still welded to his past in some ways, to the people for whom he had cared so deeply.For whatever reason, Buck could not or would not allow himself to get close enough to anyone to fall in love.** ****

**  
**

**“It wasn’t all this beautiful, you know.”Buck stopped and touched the bark of a young tree.It felt like the furry softness of pussy willows.**

**  
**

**“There were pollution problems, weren’t there?” Wilma asked, encouraging her partner.She felt strongly that talking would help him with his inner turmoil.**

**  
**

**“Yes, there were dead streams, litter, landfills with chemical dumps.But there was also beauty that would make even this seem plain.Of course, beauty is relative to the beholder.”** ****

**  
**

**“Oh?”** ****

**  
**

**“There was a guy from Hawaii that I went through basic training with.He hated Colorado.He hated the steep rugged mountains, hated the dryness, the cold.He said that Colorado was the ugliest place on Earth.”** ****

**  
**

**“And you?” Wilma asked, even though she felt she knew what his answer would be.** ****

**  
**

**“I came from the midwest, as you know.Flat for the most part, green, most of the time, four distinct seasons, some humidity, but I thought the Rockies were awesome.”Buck shrugged.“I saw natural beauty everywhere I went.Every place has good points.”** ****

**  
**

**“And Earth now?” Wilma asked, curious, but sad.Sometimes his reveries of the past sounded so melancholy, like a wound inside him that couldn’t quite heal.**

**  
**

**“I have seen what is, compared to what was.It saddens me.But the beauty of now is in the will of people like you and Dr. Huer and Dr. Goodfellow, who are determined to restore at least a portion of what was.”He turned and gazed at her, and saw sadness in her eyes.“Hey, you aren’t feeling sorry for me, are you?”** ****

**  
**

**“Worried about you, Buck.Dr. Theopolis told me you had written a letter to your father.”** ****

**  
**

**“You know, I am going to have a serious talk with Theo and Twiki about privacy,” Buck said with a slight smile.Then he became serious again.“I was thinking about my father that day.The second Sunday in June, in the U.S. is, or rather was, Fathers’ Day.”He paused and they both walked in silence for a few paces.“And it makes me angry that he and my mother died thinking I was the cause of all the death and destruction of the Great Holocaust.”**

**“And sad?”She was not going to argue the fact that his parents may not have really known about the charges against Buck, about their knowledge of Peterson’s damning evidence.However, she felt sadness that Buck believed it, because she knew that it added to the deep emotional stress that he had felt at the beginning of his sojourn to this time and place.**

**  
**

**“Yeah,” Buck replied tersely.**

**  
**

**There were several more minutes where the only sound was that of the stream rushing along its course.“Do you believe in a hereafter, Buck,” Wilma asked.** ****

**  
**

**He sucked in a deep breath.“Yes, I do.”** ****

**  
**

**“Then do you believe they know what you are doing now?That they know just how much you have helped Earth in this time?”** ****

**  
**

**“I hope they do,” came the reply.**

**  
**

**“Then they would know that the charges against you were proven false,” Wilma said conclusively.**

**  
**

**Buck sighed again.“You sound like Theo and Twiki.”** ****

**  
**

**“Theo said that?”That surprised her that a quad would venture into realms of spirituality.Sometimes Theopolis amazed her.He had always been the most astute and open-minded of all the Computer Councilmen.**

**  
**

**“Something to that effect,” Buck replied.“You make it sound so easy.But it’s not, Wilma.It’s one thing to believe and another thing to feel the pain, the pain of what was.And of what cannot be changed.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck walked away toward the far end of the floratat chamber.Wilma did not follow him, feeling she had said all she could at this time.Twiki and Theo joined her.“Do you think he will be all right?” Wilma asked.** ****

**  
**

**“I think so, Wilma,” the quad answered.“But it won’t be instantaneous.What has happened to him is a great shock.So far, he has borne it well.”** ****

**  
**

**“Buck will be A- okay!” Twiki declared.** ****

**  
**

**Wilma remembered the time when she had taken Buck on his first tour of the Inner City.He had been curious, but he still had the look of a man wondering if he was dreaming something exotic and too fantastic to believe.The dream phase had changed to acceptance and Buck had immersed himself into his new world.But on occasion, there were still excursions into the past with longings for that which couldn’t be.Yes, Wilma thought, Buck Rogers was an incredible man to have acclimatized so very well and Wilma admired him for it. Somehow she felt that this time, her time, was that much better for his presence.She smiled.**

**  
**

**“Wilma, what is it?” Theo asked.**

**  
**

**“I was just thinking of how exasperating Buck can be at times, but still . . .”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, he is an intriguing man,” Theo finished the sentence.**

**  
**

**Wilma laughed mentally.That was not exactly what she was thinking.Exciting was more the word she had in mind.Aloud, she said, “I just hope he will weather this last bout of . . . what did he call it, future shock, as well as he had weathered his previous ones.”** ****

**  
**

**“Me, too,” Twiki said.**


	4. Hospitality

**  
**

**“Wilma, I received a communication from the Directorate that you are needed back in New Chicago on a matter of security,” Theo announced.**

**  
**

**Pulling her eyes away from her distant companion, she gazed down at the quad.“Now?Can’t the Computer Council and Major Orlov deal with it as they have while I’ve been gone?” she asked.**

**  
**

**“They wanted your input on several matters while you are still here.Before the _Searcher_ leaves for another voyage.”** ****

**  
**

**“But we’re going to be here for another month, at least.Why now?We just got here,” she protested.** ****

**  
**

**“I believe it has to do with the security shield.It seems apparent that it needs improvement in light of the various forces that have attempted to attack Earth in the past several years.They seemed anxious to deal with it now,” Theo replied.**

**  
**

**Wilma stood with her arms crossed, her frown deepening as she watched Buck continue to explore the floratat.**

**  
**

**“Buck will be all right.In fact, I believe this will be good for him,” Theo said.**

**  
**

**She nodded.“When do they want to meet?”**

**“The day after tomorrow, sixteen hundred hours.”** ****

**  
**

**“I can handle that,” she said, relieved.“That gives us time to finish the negotiations here.Buck can take care of the minute details of the various kinds of terraforming we are interested in.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck came back toward them, a smile on his face.“I decided that it’s too nice a day to be crabby,” he declared.“Should we see what other floratats the Lagrithians do?Earth doesn’t just consist of golf greens and bubbling brooks.”** ****

**  
**

**“Of course,” she said, smiling in return.Buck’s humor was infectious.**

**  
**

**“This is a wonderful floratat for foothills areas like what used to be the Ohio River valley,” Buck explained.“But if you are going to have these people working in the long term, around places like New Phoenix and the other cities in North America, you need to see what their mountain or desert or coastline habitats look like.”** ****

**  
**

**“Then let’s find Breearth,” Wilma suggested.As they reached the entrance to the floratat, the door slid open.Breearth was waiting just outside the doorway with another Lagrithian female.**

**  
**

**She smiled and bowed.“Did you find this floratat satisfactory?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, indeed,” Wilma said.“And there will need to be very few modifications for something like this one.”** ****

**  
**

**“Excellent!” Breearth exclaimed, waving her long fingered hands in delight.“Would you like Mreesa and I to show you another floratat before the banquet tonight?”** ****

**  
**

**“Banquet?” Buck and Wilma said at the same time.**

**  
**

**“Oh, yes.We always have a welcoming banquet for our new clients.”** ****

**  
**

**“The decision is not final,” Theo said.** ****

**  
**

**“That does not matter.First, we have a welcoming banquet because we treat all we meet as friends.And second, because we are so very confident that you will like our work that we believe you will decide to let us reform parts of your planet.Even if you decide not to employ our services, you will still have enjoyed our hospitality,” Breearth said lightly.**

**  
**

**“Sounds like a plan to me,” Buck said with a laugh.**

**  
**

**“What type of floratat would you care to see next?” Breearth asked happily.** ****

**  
**

**“Do you have the Grand Canyon?” Buck asked, an innocent look on his face.** ****

**  
**

**Breearth and her companion looked puzzled.Wilma just rolled her eyes.**

**  
**

**“Ah, never mind.Do you have a desert floratat?” Buck asked.**

**  
**

**=============================**

**  
**

**“This is an incredible discovery,” a short Lagrithian exclaimed.“It is exactly what the Elders have been searching for.” **

**“What have you found, Dr. Foreenizor?” another Lagrithian asked, curious at what had so animated his leader. **

**“I have found a rich and primal source of zeermor and an almost equally rich source of wristis,” Foreenizor said.“Both of the perfect chemical makeup.” **

**“Then we will negotiate zeermor and wristis instead of using galactic currency,” the other Lagrithian stated.“I am sure the terrans would understand.” **

**“Jreeshnar, we might be able to negotiate for some, but these elements are important for the life forms on this planet as well as to us.”Foreenizor rubbed his long fingers up and down his arms.He almost shivered in excitement.“No, this is what the Elders provided for a long time ago.” **

**“I do not understand,” Jreeshnar said, feeling something ominous creeping up his spine.He wasn’t sure about the direction of this conversation. **

**Foreenizor, knowing of his second in command’s loyalty, took his subordinate aside where no one else could hear their conversation.“As the leader of this ship, I have been given knowledge of the hidden directives,” Foreenizor said.“And the hidden knowledge, the hidden but sure knowledge that our people are dying.” **

**“What?” Jreeshnar exclaimed.His face registered, first shock, and then dismay and disbelief.Anger flashed but was quickly suppressed.“Are you sure?How?And why haven’t more been told?” **

**“Yes, slowly, but surely it is happening.As you know, the orbit of our planet had by small degrees moved closer to the binary.We used various means to stop that movement, but we could not reverse it.Right now, the slight deviation in our planet’s orbit hasn’t caused noticeable change in our atmosphere or the environment.But there have been changes.Changes that will soon become obvious to all.It has been determined that zeermor and to a slightly lesser degree, wristis, in great quantities are the only thing that will save our planet and our race. To negotiate for a small amount would be less than useless.”He paused.“And why didn’t we tell the populace what is going on?Jreeshnar, imagine the reaction if we told the people that within five generations the race would be dead, the planet of their nativity a husk.It was felt best not to panic our people, but to quietly look for the elements that we needed before the changes wrought by the orbit deviation became obvious.The directive indicated what was to be done if these elements were found.It is too bad that this has occurred on a populated planet, but it cannot be helped.We do not have time.If we do not take action, within three more generations, it will be too late to reverse the trend.” **

**Jreeshnar gazed at his leader in horror.“I had no idea, Doctor," he stammered."Of course, we must do what we have to, in order to save our people.But how do we obtain these elements?The Earth people will not willingly give up their planet and I seriously doubt they will sell it.”He paused, then asked trepiditiously, “What does the directive say we must do?” **

**“The Hidden Directive instructs us, as leaders of our vessels to simply exterminate the Earth people and salvage what we need from the desolate planet.” **

**“But even Earth’s enemies would object to blatant extermination, I believe,” Jreeshnar pointed out.**

**Foreezinor saw the horror stricken look replaced by a quiet determination.He knew that Jreeshnar would give him his full support.And the question was a viable one. “Earth people almost exterminated themselves with war a half a millennium ago.It would be no surprise if some mutated disease decimated the entire human race.It might take up to a solar year, perhaps, but if sickness appeared planet-wide, the Earth would be put under quarantine and that would spell their quick doom.”**

**“Yes, I see what you are saying and see that this would be the only solution.What kind of sickness would we use, Doctor?”**

**“We will devise a suitable virus.The Earth delegates will be tested without their knowledge.We will do this during their sleep cycle,” Foreenizor explained.**

**Jreeshnar nodded.“And the future of our race will be assured.It is drastic.But if it is necessary….”**

**“Yes, but for now this will only be known to you, me and a few technicians.”Foreenizor gave his adjutant a meaningful gaze.“You do understand that, do you not?”**

**“Of course, Doctor Foreenizor.I understand perfectly.You can count on me,” Jreeshnar said fervently.**

**“Yes, I knew I could count on you, my friend.”**

**  
**

**========================**

**  
**

**“My friends, please enjoy yourselves,” Breearth said happily.“All of this food is fit for human consumption.These are foods closest to those with which you are most familiar.”** ****

**  
**

**“Thank you,” Wilma said, staring at the food-laden table before them.** ****

**  
**

**Buck studied the array of food laid out on the table in front of them.Even Princess Ardala’s banquets didn’t boast this much food.“And to think I was planning on watching what I ate,” he muttered.**

**  
**

**Wilma looked thoughtful and then leaned over toward him.“Watch it as long as you like, Buck, and then eat it,” she said, her look serious, but her eyes twinkling merrily.**

**  
**

**Buck blinked and turned to his comrade in amazement.She grinned.Suddenly, he couldn’t help it; he burst out laughing.“Wilma, you have been around me too long.”She laughed with him.**

**  
**

**Buck pulled out the chair designated for Wilma and motioned for her to sit down.For once she didn’t object, but smiled and took the seat.He sat next to her, while Twiki, with Theo stood nearby.Breearth and her companion, Mreesa, sat down at the table with them.**

**  
**

**Despite some differences in texture and taste, Buck found the various foods delicious.After they finished eating, the small group talked a while longer, enjoying a sweet drink of Lagrithian make.Finally, Buck yawned, trying unsuccessfully to hide it.“I think I am ready to hit the sack.”**

**  
**

**“So am I,” Wilma said.“I didn’t think what we did was so strenuous, but apparently it was.”** ****

**  
**

**Breearth looked puzzled.“Perhaps it is slight differences in the atmosphere on our ship.But please, let me show you to your quarters where you can sleep,” she said.** ****

**  
**

**By the time they reached their rooms, which were right next to each other, Buck could barely keep his eyes open.A Lagrithian approached as he was about to enter his room.“Excuse me, but we were wondering if Dr. Theopolis and his ambu-quad would care to spend some time going over floratat specifications.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes,” Theo replied, and then looked at Buck.“Unless you desire to be involved in these discussions.”** ****

**  
**

**“No, no, Theo, you two go for it.You can fill Wilma and I in on everything tomorrow,” Buck told him, yawning again.He was puzzled as to his seeming fatigue, but figured that Breearth was probably right.Theo and Twiki left and Buck pulled off his flight tunic as he walked toward the bed.He didn’t get as far as taking off his pants.As soon as he sat down, he simply flopped over and fell into a heavy sleep.**

**  
**

**In the morning, he awoke feeling strangely like he had a hangover.“Oh, man,” he muttered.“I’ve got to lay off the Lagrithian joy juice.”** ****

**  
**

**Twiki beeped and then said exuberantly, “Good morning, sunshine!”** ****

**  
**

**“Not so loud, Twiki,” Buck said reprovingly.He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.The fuzzy dullness soon dissipated and he felt somewhat better.**

**  
**

**“Are you all right, Buck?” Theo asked, concerned.** ****

**  
**

**“Yeah, I am now.But man, I felt like the morning after New Year’s Eve for a moment.”Buck stretched and padded to the bathroom.He stopped and stared at his feet.Somehow he didn’t remember taking his boots off.But he must have, or else Twiki did.Shrugging, Buck went on in and shut the door.Later, after he had showered and shaved, he stood in front of a small wardrobe, studying the clothes that their Lagrithian hosts had left for him.They appeared to be perfectly matched to his height and form.Holding his towel around his waist with one hand, he felt the fabric and found it to be surprisingly soft and lightweight._What the hell_, he thought.They were considerate enough to leave these; he would be considerate enough to wear them.Save wear and tear on the extra flight suit he had brought along.** ****

**  
**

**“Nice threads, Buck,” Twiki quipped after he had dressed.**

**  
**

**“Thanks, Twiki.It’s comfortable, too,” he said, rubbing one sleeve of the moss green jumpsuit.It was even more supple than the Directorate flight suits.** ****

**  
**

**Turning to his companions, he asked.“Did you two have a fruitful evening?”**

**  
**

**“Yes, indeed, we did, Buck,” Theo replied.“We worked out schedules and payments.And they will discuss floratat details with you after we have seen several more of them.”** ****

**  
**

**“Sounds great, Theo,” Buck said.“We need to be looking at mountain and prairie floratats today.For New Denver and New Tulsa.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, then it should only be a matter of details.The Computer Council decided to let them work on four areas first and if we like their work, we’ll have them do more, including some of the cities in Europe and Asia.”** ****

**  
**

**“Great, Theo.Let’s find Wilma and get started.”**

**  
**

**As it was, Buck had to wait for Wilma.She was a bit slow getting up, a fact that Buck found somewhat strange.Wilma Deering was so disciplined that she was usually waiting for him.“Apparently she can’t hold her Lagrithian liquor any better than I can,” Buck murmured.**

**  
**


	5. Buck's Green Thumb

**“I don’t know what’s in the atmosphere on this ship, but I never slept so soundly in my life,” Wilma said when she finally emerged from her quarters.She, too, had on a jumpsuit provided by their hosts.Buck couldn’t help but stare at her.It accentuated her lithe and sensual body even more than her flight suit did, and that was saying a lot.** ****

**  
**

**“I did, too, as a matter of fact,” Buck agreed.He wasn’t about to tell her that he had had a dream about her, though, one that had slightly alarmed and yet, disappointed him at the same time. Wilma had been in it. It had been strange, to say the least.He dismissed it; most of it had slid out of his memory as soon as he had awakened anyway.“And you are probably right.”** ****

**  
**

**Wilma looked up and down the corridors.“I really don’t know my way around this ship.I guess we should call for Breearth.”As Wilma reached for her communications button, Breearth and Mreesa rounded the corner of the corridor and greeted them.**

**  
**

**“Do you two read minds?We were just going to call you,” Buck told them.**

**  
**

**“Oh, no,” Breearth said.“I had just called your room, Buck, and you were not there.I assumed that you were up and would be here.Shall we have breakfast and then we can study more floratats.”** ****

**  
**

**“Sounds like a winner to me,” Twiki said.** ****

**  
**

**Breakfast looked very much like any Earth morning meal of eggs, bacon and toast, along with coffee.Buck glanced into the cup.“Not Irish, I hope?” he asked.**

**  
**

**“Irish?” Breearth asked, puzzled.**

**  
**

**“Irish coffee has whiskey in it,” he explained.He gazed at Breearth.“I don’t know what was in that cordial you folks served yesterday after dinner, but it was potent.And it didn’t even give an interim buzz, it went right to the pass-out phase.”** ****

**  
**

**Breearth paused, as though trying to understand everything that Buck had said.“It is not supposed to do that,” Mreesa interjected.“We will be sure to check it out before dinner.But rest assured, there is nothing here that will cause a reaction, Captain Rogers.”**

**  
**

**“Um, Buck, please.And I appreciate that.”** ****

**  
**

**“Is that what being intoxicated feels like?” Wilma asked.**

**  
**

**“Not totally,” Buck answered, spreading a light colored jam over his piece of toast.“You’re supposed to have a bit of fun first.Before you pass out.”** ****

**  
**

**Wilma smiled as she finished her breakfast.“I will agree on one thing.I didn’t care for the headache I had when I woke up.”** ****

**  
**

**The day was spent examining floratats, then details for implementing the first of the four terraforming projects.Before they knew it, the group found it time for dinner again. This time there was no large banquet, but rather a quiet meal.After being assured that the drink they were served was non-alcoholic, Buck tried it, finding it pleasing to the palate.He found himself tiring quickly, but not quite the same as the night before.This time Twiki and Theo stayed in the room with him, allowing their circuits to rest.Buck’s sleep was restful and dreamless.**

**  
**

**Wilma, too, seemed to have rested easier, meeting him at his door when Buck emerged.“Very nice,” she said, admiring his jumpsuit, this one a dark burgundy, with black around the waist and collar.**

**  
**

**“Ditto,” he said.“But then I don’t think you’ve worn anything that didn’t look nice.I suspect you would make sackcloth look good.”**

**  
**

**Wilma blushed slightly, “Why, thank you, Captain Rogers,” she said with a smile, genuinely flattered.** ****

**  
**

**“You are very welcome, Colonel Deering.May I escort you to breakfast?”** ****

**  
**

**“Colonel Deering, may I remind you of your appointment?” Theo interjected.**

**  
**

**Buck decided that he needed to talk to Theo about timing, too.Then he realized what the quad had just said.“What appointment?”** ****

**  
**

**“Oh, I totally forgot,” she said, her face showing embarrassment.“Dr. Huer wanted me to sit in on a Directorate meeting of some importance.I was so caught up in this project, I forgot to tell you.”**

**  
**

**Buck was disappointed.He had been genuinely enjoying sharing this assignment with Wilma.“Oh.Well, I don’t think it will take much longer to wind things up here,” Buck said.“We have seen what we need to see.The Directorate has approved the contract.Basically just fine tuning and setting up work schedules.”He scratched his chin.“As a matter of fact, it might be as boring here as it would in a Directorate meeting,” he said, a glint in his eye.Wilma caught it and, knowing what those meetings could be like, said nothing.** ****

**  
**

**“Now, Buck, Directorate meetings are not that boring,” Theo protested.**

**  
**

**“Gotcha,” he said to the quad with a grin.“Now let’s go have breakfast.”** ****

**  
**

**Laughing, Wilma said, “Actually, that is pretty much what Dr. Huer said to me when he scheduled this meeting, that you could finish this easily without my help."**

**  
**

**“So I’ll be joining you all in a couple of days, I would guess.I just want to stay long enough to make sure they get everything right.”** ****

**  
**

**“I am so excited to see the finished product,” she said as they walked into the dining room.** ****

**  
**

**“So am I, Wilma.So am I,” Buck agreed.** ****

**  
**

**==============================**

**“The Earth woman has left,” Jreeshnar told his superior.“She had some kind of meeting with her superiors on Earth, as I understand it.”** ****

**  
**

**Foreenizor frowned and waved his hands in the air.“It would have been so much quicker and easier if both had returned to Earth infected.”He gazed at his subordinate.“Is she returning?”** ****

**  
**

**“No, Doctor.”** ****

**  
**

**“Then we will have to make do with the male.Once the virus begins to spread through the population, the extermination will come almost as quickly as if there had been two carriers.”**

**  
**

**“But what about the slight anomaly we found in the two blood tests?There were small microbiological differences between the two humans, and the male’s blood sample was not viable for more than the first test,” Jreeshnar said.** ****

**  
**

**“They are negligible, probably only the difference between the males and females of humans.”**

**  
**

**“But would it not be better to infect the male with what has been developed from his blood?Of course, there was not an opportunity to get another sample.His drone and the quad have been with him constantly,” Jreeshnar pointed out.“And we haven’t wanted to make any of them suspicious.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, I know, but we have to be able to create a virus that will infect both males and females, so it won’t matter if the virus has been created based on the makeup of the female’s blood,” Foreenizor explained.“This will work.You and the technicians make sure that the virus is ready in the next two days.That is when I was told Captain Rogers was planning on returning to New Chicago.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, Doctor,” Jreeshnar replied.**

**  
**

**=======================**

**  
**

**Hawk gazed over the reddish brown rocks that rose toward the sky, looming high over his head.On his back were the folded up quasi-wings, that which allowed him the power of free flight.It was the best substitute for what had been lost so long ago in his people’s history.Taking a deep breath, he began again, finding the finger holds and toe holds that let him continue climbing up this majestic natural tower.And to think there was even more of this natural beauty here five hundred years ago.Breathtaking was the only word he could come up with._Oh, Koori, if only you could be here.If only we could soar together on the currents of air here in this place so far from home._He paused and let the wind pluck at him, raising his head feathers slightly, bringing him the scents of trees and scrub brush. **

**He suddenly felt the presence of another and looked around as much as his precarious hold would allow him.Nothing.Sighing, Hawk continued upward.This was the only part of his new life that still gave him pangs of sadness, the fact that his Koori was no longer with him.But his anger was to blame.His thirst for revenge had doomed his beloved and almost doomed the very man, the only human who had been sympathetic to him.“Ah, Buck Rogers, I will get you in quasi-wings someday.And it will be in this place.On your own planet,” he said to the wind, letting the capricious breezes pluck his words away.Finally, Hawk made it to the top of the pinnacle and looked around.His sharp eyes saw two terran birds floating on the air pockets above him, presumably life-mates, looking for a meal. **

**He shook out the quasi-wings, bracing himself as the winds caught in the panels and tried to pull him off of his narrow ledge before he was ready.When the final strut snapped into place, he screamed a high-pitched challenge and leaped out into the sky.The thermals caught and he soared high and then higher._Oh, Koori!We should be like those,_ he cried, trying unsuccessfully to bury his despair.He suddenly realized that coming here had been a mistake.He should have gone to the alien ship with Buck and Wilma. **

_ **‘No, my love, this is where you belong,’ ** _ **a voice whispered in his heart._‘And you are not alone.I am with you.Always…………..’ _ **

**“Koori!” Hawk cried aloud and felt his heart and soul soar as high as the alien sun that blazed overhead.Most of the afternoon, he flew in and out of thermals, rising and diving, reveling in his knowledge that he was, indeed, not alone in this place.** ****

=

**  
**

**=========================**

**  
**

**Buck handed the computer disk to Breearth.“This disk shows you what the various habitats used to look like,” he said.** ****

**  
**

**Breearth and Mreesa put the disk into their computer terminal and then gazed at the view screen, entranced.**

**  
**

**“See what I meant by tree bark?” Buck asked, pointing.“And that’s just one type of terran tree.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, these images are going to be most helpful, Buck,” Mreesa said.“Did these come from your archives?Maybe we can get more, to be even more accurate.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck just tapped his head and smiled.**

**  
**

**“But so vivid.I had no idea that Earth had such places in existence.Perhaps we only need to prepare the land and transplant cuttings and floraclones.But it is no wonder you wish to duplicate these in your wastelands.”** ****

**  
**

**“You misunderstand me, Mreesa,” Buck said.“These are what the wastelands looked like in the past.There are some of those plants and trees extant in other places on earth, or preserved in specially built habitats, but some of those plants are gone.They died in the Great Holocaust.”He pointed to a map of North America.“This is where the woodlands and grasslands used to be.This is where the mountain forests regions were.This, the desert habitat.”Buck sighed.“The Directorate is most eager to make this land appear as it once was.And I am going to do my best to help them.”** ****

**  
**

**“You must have found the best archive possible to have something this sharp and clear from a mind probe,” Breearth said.“May we keep this disk?”** ****

**  
**

**“Sure you can,” Buck said.“And let me clarify something.Most pre-Holocaust records didn’t survive to the present.I am the archive.I lived in that time before the Great Holocaust.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck remembered the disagreement he and Theo had had that morning just after Wilma had left.The quad didn’t think he should divulge too much of his past.“Hell, Theo, half the galaxy knows my history.It’s there for anyone to find out,” he had told the computer councilman.And he felt comfortable around these Lagrithians.“By making them understand where this knowledge is coming from they won’t be tempted to take any liberties with the floratats.And you are the one who told me I was paranoid.”He had won the argument.The two women gazed at him in amazement.**

**  
**

**“Doesn’t look a day over one hundred and thirty,” Twiki quipped.**

**  
**

**Breearth glanced at the drone and then back at Buck.**

**  
**

**“A freak accident cryogenically froze me for five hundred plus years and I was revived two years ago,” he explained.“I did this disk so there would be no mistakes.So it would look the same, or as close to the same as possible.”** ****

**  
**

**“I understand, Buck Rogers,” Breearth murmured.“It means even more to you than it does to the Directorate.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes,” Buck said simply.** ****

**  
**

**They spent the rest of the day going over the details of the foothills floratat, adding into the computer the changes and additions.Buck felt much had been accomplished and sent a detailed report to Dr. Huer before he went to bed.Tomorrow they would take care of the other floratats and he’d be able to return to New Chicago. **

**  
**

**The following day, Mreesa and Breearth poured over floratat specifications, making changes and adding things previously overlooked.Buck enjoyed working with the two Lagrithians, feeling their enthusiasm for their work and their interest in making sure Buck was pleased with the floratat plans.** ****

**  
**

**The more he immersed himself in this project, the easier it was to push his anger and depression over the past events aside.His excitement grew as he began picturing himself and his twenty-fifth century friends walking, without fear, along grass-covered meadows, picking black-eyed Susans, violas and daffodils.When he got back to New Chicago, he would have to look in the science archives for the names of all of the plants that he pictured in his mind.There were so many for which he had forgotten the names.So much he had taken for granted before his journey to this time and place.**

**  
**

**Theo and Twiki served more as recorders, but on occasion pointed out slight deviations on the computer specifications from Buck’s memories.Time seemed to fly by as the five of them worked together.** ****

**  
**

**At the end of the day, he stretched and rubbed his back, trying to loosen stiff muscles.“Well, Breearth, Mreesa, I believe we are finished until you come down to Earth and check out some of our surviving fauna and the land you’ll be working on.”He stretched a bit more, feeling his muscles stretching.“I think this has been the most pleasant assignment I have had since I landed in your time, but I believe it’s time to head back to New Chicago now.”**

**  
**

**“It has been such a pleasure working on this.We are eager to come to your planet and get started,” Breearth said, her fingers moving in what Buck had come to understand as pleasure.“But Dr. Foreenizor has asked if you could stay one more night, especially since it’s so late.He would like you to be his guest at dinner tonight.He has been wanting to meet you, but has been very busy up to now.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck looked at his watch.“It is rather late, isn’t it?”He smiled.“Sure, why not?Consider the invitation accepted.”**


	6. The Awful Truth

**  
**

**The dinner was elaborate, but not on the scale of the first night.Dr. Foreenizor was not as exuberant as Breearth and Mreesa, but he was pleasant enough.When they showed him the computer generated diagrams, building schematics and schedules, Buck leaned back in his chair, sipping his Lagrithian cordial, satisfied.**

**  
**

**“Looking good, Buck,” Twiki interjected, speaking only loud enough for his human companion to hear.** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, it does, Twiki,” Theo agreed.“You have done a fine job, Buck.”** ****

**  
**

**“Breearth and Mreesa have done most of the work, Theo, but thanks, we made a very good team,” he said loudly enough for his hosts to hear and then raised his glass to the alien women.They smiled their thanks.Dr. Foreenizor praised them as well.“Well, Doctor, I sincerely hope you can join me at a banquet on Earth to celebrate the completion of this project,” Buck said with a grin.**

**  
**

**“As do I,” Foreenizor said. “You will have to excuse me, Captain.I have much to do.” **

**  
**

**“I just hope it looks as good on Earth as it does on this computer,” Buck added wistfully after the Lagrithian leader had left.**

**  
**

**“It will, Buck,” Mreesa said emphatically.Breearth agreed.** ****

**  
**

**“Well, time to hit the sack,” Buck said.“It’s been a very busy four days.”** ****

**  
**

**“We will see you in the morning before you leave,” Breearth said.**

**  
**

**“Absolutely.Wouldn’t even think of leaving without saying goodbye.”** ****

**  
**

**That night, dreams haunted his sleep, dreams that were even stranger and more ominous than the half-remembered one he had experienced the first night on the ship.It made him feel vaguely uneasy, but as the foggy tendrils of sleep left him, so, too, did the threat.Buck just dismissed it as a simple nightmare.**

**  
**

**“Sleep well, Buck?” Twiki asked.** ****

**  
**

**“Yeah, except for the strange dream.”**

**  
**

**“What was it about,” Theo asked.**

**  
**

**“Well, some of it was vivid and some was pretty vague, but I believe I was being held as a prisoner in someone’s laboratory somewhere,” he said, shaking his head.** ****

**  
**

**“Uh, oh,” Twiki quipped.**

**  
**

**“Oh, it’s nothing,” Buck said in dismissal.“I have never in my life had a prophetic dream.”He wondered about the fact that he had remembered having Lagrithians in his dream.He usually didn’t dream about the very recent past either.He padded into the bathroom where he shaved and took a shower.He noticed that his arm was a bit sore, but dismissed that, too, especially after the hot water took away the stiffness.He pulled on his flight uniform and then waved to Twiki and Theo.“Let’s go have breakfast, guys.”**

**  
**

**Breearth and Mreesa joined him and they bantered pleasantly for a while.** ****

**  
**

**“I look forward to working with you on Earth,” Breearth told him.Mreesa nodded.**

**  
**

**Buck finished his coffee.“As do I.”He got up.“Time to hit the road.”**

**  
**

**The two Lagrithians walked with him to his ship.Dr. Foreenizor was waiting. “My thanks for your planet’s contract,” he said, shaking Buck’s hand.**

**  
**

**For some reason, Buck felt a shiver go up his spine, but he didn’t know why and he didn’t let his reaction show on his face.“I’m sure I’ll be thanking you when the floratats are done,” was all he said.Smiling, he added, “See you all later.”With that, he lifted Twiki and Theo up on the ship’s fuselage and climbed in after them.** ****

**  
**

**Breearth and Mreesa waved as he closed the canopy and Buck waved back.As he taxied his ship around to take off, he wondered about his reaction to the Lagrithian doctor and then shrugged.He vaguely remembered that it was Foreenizor whom he had seen in his dream last night.But it was something he could ponder when he arrived home.**

**  
**

**The take off sequence began and Buck felt the gee force as his ship catapulted out of the launch bay.As he exited the Lagrithian ship, he saw Earth hanging almost dead ahead of him, the lights of New Chicago barely discernible from this distance.He flipped the switch of his communicator.“Buck Rogers calling Earth Directorate.Come in Earth Directorate.”** ****

**  
**

**There was nothing, not even static.He tried again.Then he spoke over his shoulder to Twiki and Theo.“You try it.”** ****

**  
**

**They did so, with the same result.“My sensors indicate that some of the components for the communicator are missing,” Theo reported.**

**  
**

**“But I used it on the way in,” Buck said, puzzled.“I’ve got to start doing pre-flight checks again….”His voice trailed off as alarm bells started ringing.Tendrils of fear began squeezing his heart as the various little niggling things that he had shrugged off earlier came together and clamored for his attention.“Theo, I know the first night you and Twiki worked while I slept.What about last night?”** ****

**  
**

**They were approaching the Earth’s defense shield.Automatically checking his coordinates, Buck kept his mind on their conversation.**

**  
**

**“After you had fallen asleep last night, we were asked to help clarify some items of the contract and then work on a few of the floratat specifications.It took no more than an hour and a half.”** ****

**  
**

**Dread washed over him, followed by anger.The dreams rushed back in with startling clarity.They weren’t dreams; they had been real!He had been betrayed.He had trusted these people and had been betrayed!!** ****

**  
**

**“Why do you ask, Buck?” Theo inquired.** ****

**  
**

**“They betrayed me!” Buck spat out.“That was not a dream I had last night.It was real.And the first night, that was no hangover, that was from a drug.That dream was real, too!”** ****

**  
**

**“What was real, Buck?”Theo asked.“And who betrayed you?The Lagrithians?Surely not….”** ****

**  
**

**“There’s no time to discuss this.I’m on final approach to New Chicago,” Buck said tersely, cutting off the quad.“And there’s no way in hell I can land!”** ****

**  
**

**“Why not, Buck?” Twiki asked.“What’s wrong?”** ****

**  
**

**“Because I carry death in my veins, Twiki.A death more sure than if I had a hundred kilo blazium bomb.”** ****

**  
**

**“What?” Theo cried out in surprise.** ****

**  
**

**In a quick motion, Buck jerked the fasteners at his left sleeve and pulled back the material from the arm that had bothered him that morning.The mark, a slight bruising, was barely discernable.“See that, Theo?What do your sensors make of that?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, I see it, Buck.It could indicate the insertion of a needle recently, but it could also be indicative of a bite.”** ****

**  
**

**“I have to go back,” Buck said, jerking the controls to the side, heeling the ship sharply to the left.“I can’t land in New Chicago and I can’t let the Lagrithians get away with this.”** ****

**  
**

**“Buck, the evidence is not conclusive. To accuse them….”** ****

**  
**

**Growling, Buck jerked the controls and set the ship on a course due west, putting the starfighter in a couple of maneuvers that might give Wilma and Dr. Huer cause to wonder.“To hell with diplomacy,” he muttered, but he realized what might also happen if he returned to the Lagrithian ship.They could destroy him in ‘self defense’ and then infect someone else, possibly Wilma, when the so-called floratat program was begun again.His mind raced and Buck tried desperately to think of a solution to all of this.He could think of only one thing and that was iffy at best.But he also had to try and warn someone else.Make them suspicious.** ****

**  
**

**“Can you locate Hawk?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, his ship is in an area once known as Bryce Canyon."** ****

**  
**

**Buck buzzed the area quickly in the sunset, rolling in a maneuver that Hawk had taught him, then he shot out over the Great Basin and on out over the Pacific Ocean.He asked himself what he was hoping to accomplish.His answer was that he was doing anything that might make his friends question what was going on and possibly cause them to wonder about the motives of the Lagrithians.But on the other hand, he had to isolate himself from the rest of the world.He didn’t think he could do both, but he had to at least accomplish the latter.** ****

**  
**

**“What are you going to do, Buck?” Theo asked.The quad could feel the great tension, the fear and anger from his human friend and wished he knew the cause of it. That something dreadful had occurred; he had no doubt.Whether it warranted the kind of action that Buck was taking now, he also had no doubt.But his sensors wished they had all of the information.** ****

**  
**

**“I am going to crash land this thing well away from a populated area.Eventually you will be found and you can explain what happened.Presumably you and Twiki should be immune to whatever I am carrying.”** ****

**  
**

**“Buck,” Theo began as the blue, white-capped waters slid under them.“Just what is it that happened to you?What makes you believe that the Lagrithians have infected you with something?”** ****

**  
**

**While still keeping his eyes ahead of him, Buck began.“I woke up from the first night feeling slightly hung over.I had what I thought was a strange dream about Wilma.” Buck paused.“We were both in some kind of doctor’s office or laboratory, lying on those uncomfortable tables, gurneys.Then I felt a needle prick and don’t remember anything else.”** ****

**  
**

**“And last night?” Theo asked.**

**  
**

**“Same place, but this time I heard voices, saw people, Lagrithians, specifically Foreenizor.”As he talked, Buck remembered, and remembered with greater clarity, almost as though he had opened a hole in the dike of his memory.He remembered the bright lights through his eyelids.He opened his eyes briefly and gazed in semi-conscious befuddlement.** ****

**  
**

**“Doctor, he is awake!” a Lagrithian cried out.**

**  
**

**“Jreeshnar, calm yourself.He is not fully conscious.This will only seem like a dream in the morning,” Foreenizor said.** ****

**  
**

**“We should give him more sedative to make sure.”** ****

**  
**

**“No,” another voice said.“That would interfere with the introduction of the virus.This will be only as a dream.”The Lagrithian stood over him.“It is only a dream.A strange dream of a strange place.Soon, Captain Rogers, you will be home, home in New Chicago.”**

**  
**

**The musically lilting voice reassured him and Buck murmured, “Yeah, funky dream….”He smiled._Where is Wilma?She was in the last dream._ As he drifted through a nether world of sleepiness, he heard people moving around, heard the clatter of metal instruments, felt the cool breath of antiseptic air.He shivered slightly, realizing that he was stripped to the waist._Turn the air conditioner off_, he thought, but when he tried to say something, his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.**

**  
**

**He felt a sharp pain inside his arm and moaned softly. Fire shot up past his elbow and then slowly dissipated.**

**  
**

**“It is done,” a voice announced.**

**  
**

**“How long?” another voice asked.** ****

**  
**

**“He will be contagious within twelve hours.That is how long it will take his body to assimilate the agent and reproduce it.The onset of his own sickness will be within a day, most likely.It is a fast acting virus.He will die quickly, but he will continue to be contagious until he does die and even for a short while afterward.”There was a pause and Buck felt someone doing something to his body.Someone was putting his shirt back on._About time, _he thought dreamily.**

**  
**

**“We will withdraw, wait the proscribed amount of time after the extermination is complete and then pay for salvage rights.”** ****

**  
**

**His thoughts tried to take hold of the information, but he could not.Buck kept telling himself it was a dream, a weird, horrible nightmare.Even as he was wheeled back to his room and placed on his bed, he was telling himself this and finally he believed what he was saying to his subconscious.Then he remembered nothing else until he had awakened.** ****

**  
**

**“So what do you have in mind, Buck?” Theo asked when he had finished.**

**  
**

**“If I could find a planet with no humanoids, I would go there, but I can’t, not at the spur of the moment.I have to find a place where I won’t be found, but where you have a chance to get to civilization so you can warn the Directorate.You should be free of contagion after you are away from me.”Buck paused and pondered.Yes!If he could drop Twiki and Theo off somewhere and then head for his unpopulated hideaway.That would work, he thought.“Twiki, Theo, I am going to drop you off near New Sydney.Then you can contact Dr. Huer and Wilma and tell them what the Lagrithians are up to.”** ****

**  
**

**“But Buck, we still have nothing concrete,” Theo said.He saw Buck stiffen in front of him.“Captain Rogers,” the quad said formally, “I will not leave you until I must.”Although Buck’s reasoning was sound, he could not abandon his friend.At least if they were together, Buck would not be tempted to fly his starfighter into the side of a mountain.Theo modulated his voice to a slightly softer tone.“Buck, I believe you, but this company has never even attempted to do anything like this before.What are their motives?”** ****

**  
**

**“There is something we have on Earth they are desperate for.Besides, it doesn’t really matter.They’re doing it.”His eyes hardened.“I am going to set you two down in Australia.”** ****

**  
**

**“No, Buck!” Twiki and Theo said together.**

**  
**

**“No,” Theo repeated.“I know you well enough to understand what you have in mind and I cannot let you do it.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck cursed under his breath.**

**  
**

**“Even though I believe you are right, there is still hope that their calculations are off.I cannot let you throw your life away on what we believe will happen,” Theo reasoned, almost pleading.**

**  
**

**“I am Death!” Buck cried, anguished.“What if these people try again?”** ****

**  
**

**“Did you not say that they were going to wait to see what happened?” Theo asked.Then he added before he had fully reasoned the facts out.“We can land somewhere remote but not too far from some kind of habitation.As soon as we are well away from the ship and we have established a hidden campsite, Twiki and I will walk to the nearest human habitation and contact the Directorate.Perhaps I can even take enough parts from this craft to fashion a communication device.With Twiki’s help, of course.And then we won’t have to separate.”** ****

**  
**

**“When I die, you will have to cremate my body.I want nothing left of this virus to effect anyone.”** ****

**  
**

**Twiki beeped and then cried out, “You can’t die, Buck!”**

**“Anyone can die, Twiki.But no one should have to die like this.That’s what I am trying to prevent.”Buck said nothing more for several minutes.“They scrambled a couple of fighters, my friends, so your plan is going to be the one we follow.There is no time to land and then outdistance pursuit.”He smiled grimly. “Hang on, this is going to be a wild ride.”** ****

**  
**

**“Where are we going to land?” Twiki asked.** ****

**  
**

**“The thickest, wildest place left on earth.The rainforest in Equatorial Africa.”**

**Theo and Twiki were silent, realizing the implications of a landing in such a place.**

**  
**


	7. Crash Landing

**Dr. Huer glanced up at Colonel Deering.“Ah, Buck and Twiki and Dr. Theopolis are on their way home.”**

**  
**

**“Good, I can’t wait to see the holo’s of the floratats.I think you’ll be very pleased.”**

**  
**

**“I am sure I will.Buck sent me a report of all he did.I am very eager to see what you and he were able to arrange with the Lagrithians.”** ****

**  
**

**“I believe I’ll go down to the terminal and greet them,” Wilma said nonchalantly.But she couldn’t ignore the fact that she had missed her partner, more than she had thought possible.They had been through quite a bit together in the past year and a half, and as unorthodox as he usually was; Wilma enjoyed working with Buck Rogers and she enjoyed simply being around him.His offbeat sense of humor and gentle understanding had helped her through many stressful situations.She felt that now it was her turn to do what she could to help him through his tough times.Although he had become totally engrossed in the reclamation project, Wilma was still worried about Buck’s recent frame of mind.**

**  
**

**She had barely walked into the military terminal when she received a communication.** ****

**  
**

**“Col. Deering, there seems to be something wrong with Buck’s ship,” Dr. Huer said over her personal communicator.**

**  
**

**Cold dread gripped her.“What?”**

**  
**

**“We haven’t been able to get through to him on his communicator,” Dr. Huer elaborated.** ****

**  
**

**“Where is he heading?” she asked tersely, her body already tensing for action.** ****

**  
**

**“Buck is heading west, slightly southwest,” Dr. Huer said.“His ship was flying erratically for a moment, but it straightened out.I was hoping he would be able to land in the desert and we could pick him up, but he seems to be accelerating.”**

**  
**

**Wilma rushed to the main communications center and after ordering the communications officer out of the way, keyed up a screen to follow Buck’s progress.She could see what Dr. Huer was talking about, but it didn’t make it any easier to understand what was happening.“I am going out, Dr. Huer.”** ****

**  
**

**“Wait a moment.At least until we have a clearer picture of where he’s going,” Dr. Huer replied.**

**  
**

**She hated it when he was right, but Wilma realized that this time he was.Unless there were signs that the ship was in imminent danger of crashing, it was better to make sure of its ultimate destination.But it didn’t make the fear for her friend easier to take.“I am following Buck’s progress from here, Doctor.And I am ready to take off in a moment’s notice.”She backed off a bit and watched over the communications officer’s shoulder at the dot representing Buck’s ship._What is wrong?Why aren’t you communicating, Buck?_She watched slight deviations in the flight path over western North America and then saw the now straight course over the Pacific Ocean.No, there was something wrong and she could not just stand here and watch it unfold.The Directorate could tell her where he ended up landing and she could also get information through her ship’s computer.She was going to scramble a fighter. “Rollins, join me.We are going on a search and rescue,” she called out to the exo on duty in the bay.** ****

**  
**

**He saluted and grabbed his helmet.Wilma was in her star-fighter by the time the younger man had jammed his helmet on his head.Within two minutes, both ships were streaking out into the post sunset darkness of central North America. **

**  
**

**  
**

**========================**

**  
**

**Hawk pulled out the sleeping bag and laid it near the wing tip of his ship.Buck had warned him of the temperature changes here on his world and had experienced it for himself the first night.Now he was more prepared.The birdman watched the sun as it sat on the shoulders of the western mountains.The orange heightened the bright gold of the rocks and formations around him and he stood entranced at the sight.It was beautiful, and he used his vidcamera to record the sight.This would grace the fourth wall of his apartment on the Searcher when they began their next voyage.**

**  
**

**Suddenly he heard the scream of a starfighter overhead, one flying much lower and faster than it ought, and he watched it streak toward the setting sun.As it did, it spun and dived and then recovered quickly and rose a bit higher into the sky.Hawk watched, stunned, as he thought he recognized the maneuver as one he had used in aerial combat.It was called the ‘revenge’ maneuver, as it was very effective against enemies who thought they had the advantage.But no, it couldn’t be.That had to be a fluke, coincidence of a pilot having trouble with his craft.The ship was soon out of his sight, but not totally out of his mind.He kept wondering who the pilot might be and hoped he would be able to bring his craft safely to the earth.The deities watched over fliers and he invoked their care over this one.**

**  
**

**Hawk climbed back into his own star fighter to gather his supper and only vaguely heard the flight of another pair of fighters overhead._Ah, the pilot is receiving help,_ he thought in relief.**

**  
**

**Later his night’s sleep was filled with nightmares of crashing ships, Koori and Buck.They were so jumbled and confused that he couldn’t keep one dream from another.He only knew that they were extremely disquieting.**

**===============================**

**Buck studied the terrain of the route ahead of him and then made a quick decision.He punched the ship into an even faster sub light speed, dangerous for atmospheric flying, but one that would give them a few extra minutes on their pursuers.Just when he was over the Persian Gulf, he dived sharply, changing his heading to a southwesterly course.After a short while, he went into a tight spin and then rolled right side up only a hundred feet above the ground.It was barely above the treetops of a dense rainforest.Below him was forest stretching to the horizon, with only a bright blue ribbon of a large river breaking the sea of green.**

**  
**

**His maneuver had dropped his speed drastically, but it was necessary to use both hands to retain control of the craft in the lower air currents.Buck dropped again, until he was barely skimming the treetops.Suddenly, he throttled back and the engines screamed at the sudden use of the reverse thrusters.The canopy slapped at the bottom of the ship, the gee forces almost forcing Buck’s stomach into his throat.“Okay, Twiki, I’m turning control of the reverse thrusters over to you.I’m going to be busy steering this thing.”** ****

**  
**

**“Right, boss,” Twiki replied.** ****

**  
**

**“Buck, what are you doing?Surely you aren’t….”** ****

**  
**

**“No, Theo, I’m going to do my best to keep you two in one piece,” Buck said tersely.“Half reverse, Twiki!”** ****

**  
**

**As the engines protested once more and the ship slowed drastically, Buck saw a narrow opening in the canopy, probably where some forest giant had finally died, taking a few of its neighboring giants with it.He swung the ship on a side roll and slid between the trees.“Full reverse!"**

**  
**

**Twiki responded and Buck found himself painfully shoved against the restraints as the ship heeled even more to the left.Buck barely missed a large trunk.As taller limbs loomed in front of the front view screen, Buck jerked the ship even and then down.Metal screamed and human and robots alike heard pieces of the ship ripped away from the hull.Finally the star-fighter hit the forest floor, plowing up debris and soil, and deploying the safety mechanisms inside the ship.As the craft came to an abrupt stop, the occupants were cushioned from serious injury, but Buck still felt bruised by the battering that the ship had taken.**

**  
**

**Buck shook his head, incredulous that they had come out of this so well.The air was discharged from the safety bags, and he hit the webbing release button.“Theo, whatever you need; get it fast because I’m setting the failsafe. This thing will blow in five minutes.”He hit the sequencing code that would detonate the engine core and fuel cells, destroying the ship along with a goodly chunk of the forest around it.He regretted that, but it couldn’t be helped.“Four and a half minutes,” he said tersely.Buck grabbed a laser pistol and stuck it in his belt.** ****

**  
**

**“We must go now if we even hope to get away in time,” Theo said, his voice uncharacteristically frantic. Twiki had several components in his hands when Buck helped him down from the crumpled fuselage of the craft.“Let’s go!”** ****

**  
**

**They ran as fast as they could past foliage that seemed to grab and slap at them as they passed.Twiki had trouble negotiating the dense root systems and Buck finally picked him up, throwing the drone awkwardly over his shoulder.When he felt the allotted time had almost passed he threw Twiki face down behind a particularly large tree and fell on top of him.** ****

**  
**

**The explosion of the spacecraft rocked the ground beneath him and sent debris flying from the canopy and the terrace above.Heat blasted across his back and Buck imagined the forest shuddering in pain.Distant limbs cracked and fell and then there was silence.**

**  
**

**Finally Twiki beeped and Buck sat up.“You okay, guys?” he asked.** ****

**  
**

**“Next time, tackle someone else,” Twiki grumbled.**

**  
**

**“Just trying to save your butts,” Buck retorted, brushing himself off.“Theo?”** ****

**  
**

**“I believe I sustained no damage, although there seems to be a bit of dirt on my optical sensors.”**

**  
**

**Buck wiped the half-decayed leaves from Theo’s faceplate.“Theo, is there a way for a search party to detect you and Twiki?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, Buck, there is.Our neural impulses can be detected fairly easily.”** ****

**  
**

**“Good.Let me take off now and when someone finds you, you’ll be able to give them the whole story.”**

**Theo was silent for a moment.He knew that what Buck was proposing was logical and probably the best way to contact the Directorate, but he dreaded leaving his friend.Theo felt that Buck was correct in his assessment of what had happened on the Lagrithian ship.But the quad also believed that if Buck became sick while alone in the rain forest, he would assuredly die.Theo sent a subsonic message to Twiki to keep quiet.**

**  
**

**“Buck, Twiki and I have been in close proximity to you.Not knowing the nature of this contagion, we cannot take any chances.”Theo realized that any such claim was a real stretch, especially considering the measures built into a quad or drone to prevent such things.**

**  
**

**Buck gazed dubiously at him for a moment.**

**  
**

**“I think I have the parts I need to assemble a crude communicator, Buck.I can work on that and then send a message to the Directorate.”** ****

**  
**

**“I am not going to argue with you, even though I think your motivations are about as transparent as your faceplate,” Buck said with a sigh.“And remind me to play poker with you after this is over.I will clean up.”**

**  
**

**“What?”** ****

**  
**

**“Never mind,” Buck replied.“So how do we keep you and Twiki from being detected?”** ****

**  
**

**“I can shut myself down.I will not be detected then.The same is true for Twiki, but I am not sure how long you can carry him,” Theo said.** ****

**  
**

**“Let me worry about that,” Buck said tersely, aware that the others fighters would be closing fast.“I know how to reactivate Twiki.What about you?”** ****

**  
**

**“Twiki can give me an inaudible subsonic signal that will trigger my neural sensors.”** ****

**  
**

**“Okay, guys, do it and let’s hope they don’t have heat sensors to pick me up,” Buck said.**

**  
**

**“I think they would have a harder time with you, Buck.There is so much foliage and probably many animals that would also register,” Theo said, hopefully.** ****

**  
**

**“One thing that’s going right in all this, but somehow that comment about the animals doesn’t comfort me a great deal, Theo.Now shut yourselves off.”** ****

**  
**

**As soon as his companions had deactivated themselves, Buck picked up Twiki and once more slung him over his shoulder.The drone was solid, but thankfully he was not too heavy. **

**  
**

**Buck moved steadily through the jungle watching the semi-distinguishable path before him, stepping high to avoid hidden roots.He had no idea just which direction would be best, but this animal path, if that was what it truly was, seemed the right way to go.At this point he had no definite plans, only to get as far away from the crash site as possible before the sickness set in.He felt a pang of guilt in his deception, in making his friends believe he was dead.But then, essentially, he was, so perhaps this was better.**


	8. BaMbuti

**  
**

**Njobo felt the intrusion of the sky craft about the same time that he heard it.It came from the direction of the midmorning sun, screaming like a wounded eagle.Still holding his net in his hands, poised on a wide limb twenty feet above the forest floor, he had been awaiting an okapi.But with the entrance of the intruder, the small deer was now long gone. Njobo could see small patches of sky through the canopy, and for an instant he was able to see the sky sled flying overhead.**

**  
**

**“What is that, Father?” his son, Mabosu asked, his eyes large and round in wonder.At fourteen, the boy often hunted with him now.**

**  
**

**“It is a sky sled,” Njobo said.As he spoke, the _BaMbuti_ heard and felt the rending destruction of the trees in the ship’s path.**

**  
**

**“It is killing some of the forest,” Mabosu said, matter of factly.** ****

**  
**

**“Yes.We will follow and see how much damage it has done,” Njobo said.They followed the sound of the sky sled’s path, the cracking limbs, the falling debris, and then, suddenly there was a brief silence.Silently, Njobo prayed for healing to the ravaged forest.** ****

**  
**

**Then, a short time later, a huge explosive noise shattered the relative silence that had begun with the intrusion.Njobo and Mabosu dropped to their faces in fear.Now the elder _BaMbuti_ did feel the forest’s pain.The earth shuddered and the two forest people heard the cracking of limbs.As silence descended, an ominous, almost complete silence, Njobo smelled the burnt wood foliage and he felt sadness.**

**  
**

**“Come,” he told his son.“Let us see if this stranger has dealt to himself what he has delivered to Mother and Father Forest.’**

**  
**

**“I do not see how it could be otherwise, Father,”** ****

**  
**

**Njobo simply shrugged and started off through the jungle, following paths almost invisible to the eye, but ingrained in his heart.He said nothing to his son.The gods alone determined who lived and who died.Right now the forest was giving him messages that told of life and death.It was confusing, but he did not think he would find this stranger dead.**

**  
**

**He and Mabosu continued running lightly along the trail, parallel to the passage of the sky sled, blinking at the bright sunlight pouring through the ravaged canopy.Then Njobo saw the canopy close up over the path of the sky sled and he stared in amazement. **

**  
**

**“Where is the intruder, Father?” Mabosu asked, puzzled.**

**  
**

**Remembering the sky sled he had seen as a youth, Njobo marveled at the skill of the intruder._It must be a very tiny sky sled,_ he thought, remembering the destruction of so long ago. _But it hadn’t seemed that small when it passed overhead a while ago. _“It is farther, my son.”They continued, only slowing when they began to find pieces of the sky sled littering the forest floor, along with broken limbs and torn foliage.**

**  
**

**“Father,” Mabosu said softly, holding up a piece of metal.“Is this from the sky sled?”It is not of the forest.”**

**  
**

**Njobo didn’t any more than glance at the piece of the sky sled.“You are right,” he told his son. They continued, their high stepping pace slower than before, seeing more and more debris littering the path before them.**

**  
**

**The BaMbuti heard the noise of more sky sleds overhead. These came quickly, Njobo thought.It was as though this one was the quarry in a hunt._A good hunt, for one lost?Or a bad hunt, for one who has done something bad?_Suddenly, the forest opened up, showing the devastation of broken and twisted trees.The ground was scorched in an area as large as his village.It was as though a grand bonfire had burned here.The pungent odor of smoldering vines and boiled sap assaulted his nostrils.The sky looked like an open and raw wound overhead.The sound of approaching sky sleds came to his ears and Njobo pulled Mabosu back into the twilight forest.**

**  
**

**“Should we make some kind of offering to the gods to make them happy once more?” Mabosu whispered.**

**  
**

**“Yes, but not now,” Njobo replied.“We will skirt around this wounded area and find the trail the stranger took.”** ****

**  
**

**“Then you believe the one who flew this is yet alive?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, son, I do.His presence intrigues me and beckons me.It is as though the forest brought him here.Do you not feel something different?”** ****

**  
**

**“Something strange, Father.”** ****

**  
**

**Njobo nodded, his dark brow furrowed in thought even as they trotted around the burned area.The morning sky darkened and he knew that soon it would rain.That was good.Rain would be like salve in the wound of the forest.They found the path on the other side, even as the darkness deepened and thunder rumbled softly in the distance.The sky sleds above flew more sporadically overhead, as the rain began falling.It fell for some time, drowning out the sound of even occasional sky sleds, but the pair continued undaunted and unconcerned about the rain or intruders.When it stopped, the rain continued dripping off the trees, but even that did not slow them.Mabosu stopped and drank from the reservoir of a large bowl-shaped leaf.Njobo followed suit.**

**  
**

**The sound of overhead sky sleds continued off and on through the remainder of the morning and through the afternoon.Njobo and Mabosu paused to eat lunch of fruit hanging from a tree next to the path.The saw signs that the stranger had done the same thing only a short time before.Mabosu motioned to him and Njobo watched silently as his son pulled out a poison-tipped arrow from his pouch and aimed toward a branch above them.A curious monkey watched, but did not see his danger until Mabosu drew back and released the arrow.The monkey screamed as the arrow penetrated its thigh.Its body fell across the limb and the young man climbed quickly to retrieve it.**

**  
**

**Njobo nodded his approval.“It will taste good tonight,” he said.Mabosu dressed out the primate and slung it from a cord that he tied to his pouch.Mabosu found another reservoir of water and cleaned up, saying a quick prayer to make the spirit of the dead monkey happy about its sacrifice.He and Njobo again appeased their thirst and took up the trail of the intruder.**

**  
**

**Njobo was incredulous that this stranger to the forest seemed to be able to unerringly keep to the tiny trail without getting lost.He could not help but feel that the forest gods were mindful of this intruder. They must have already forgiven him for his destruction of their forest and were now helping him.Njobo wondered if this one would be as large as the stranger who had descended on them during his younger days.**

**  
**

**They trotted along, their steps sure along the path.The sun above them shone in flecks and spots of light on their backs and arms.Njobo felt, rather than saw, their quarry ahead of them.He turned to his son, but saw that Mabosu had already realized the same thing.Grabbing a vine, Njobo climbed to a wide limb twenty feet above the forest floor.Mabosu followed him and they trotted nimbly along their new pathway, leaping from one tree to another as they continued following the intruder.**

**  
**

**Within a short time, they spotted the stranger.Njobo heard his son gasp behind him and he smiled.This intruder was taller than the last one but not by much.He motioned for Mabosu to stop and the let the stranger get ahead of them.What astonished him was not the size of the stranger, but the _BaMbuti_ slung over the tall one’s shoulder.It seemed to be in some kind of metal clothing and was apparently injured.The _BaMbuti_ didn’t move or say anything.**

**  
**

**Had the stranger taken this unusual forest person and made him his prisoner?But no, Njobo didn’t feel that such was the case.The metal person did not strike him as being a forest person.He seemed even less of a forest person than the stranger.That the gods had directed him and his son to this pair; he had no doubt._Why did they do that, though?_Njobo couldn’t even venture a guess.Only the gods knew.**

**  
**

**“Father, he is so big!And the BaMbuti on his shoulder!What kind of person is that?”**

**  
**

**“I don’t know, but it appears to be sick.I want you to go back to Lelo Barazza and bring my _dawa_ pouch.”** ****

**  
**

**“Do you think the medicines will help one such as that one?” Mabosu asked.**

**“Yes.I feel strongly that it will be needed.Hurry, it will take you a day to get there and back.You may bring Aberi back with you, if he wishes to come.”** ****

**  
**

**Mabosu nodded and untied the dead monkey, handing it to his father.“You can eat this for your supper.I will eat when I get back to our campsite.”** ****

**  
**

**“Good.I may or may not be able to hunt while you are away.”Then he grinned.“But who knows.Maybe the strangers and I will be cooking a _sondu_ when you return.”** ****

**  
**

**Mabosu grinned in return and then turned away.Njobo watched for a moment and then turned back to the sky sled rider and his _BaMbuti_ companion.Trotting along the tree limb, he soon caught up with the stranger once more.The man was slowing down, but he continued along the path, the _BaMbuti_ still slung over his shoulder.All through the afternoon, the stranger continued, sometimes stopping, leaning against a tree to rest.At times, his breath came in panting gasps and sweat streamed down his face. It rained again, but the stranger continued, letting the water drip down his face.By now, though, his pace was only a slow walk.**

**  
**

**The sun returned, lower through the trees and finally the sky sled rider stopped and gently laid his _BaMbuti_ companion down.The stranger looked upward and Njobo stood stock still among the foliage.He was relieved when the intruder looked beyond Njobo’s position and toward the sky.Was he looking for help to come from his fellow sky sled riders?Or did he want to know if they were still following him.Somehow Njobo thought it was the latter reason.The face looking upward was light, like the other sky sled rider he had known, but the hair was darker, closer in color to his own.The stranger’s countenance was drawn, fatigue etched into the lines of his pale face.**

**  
**

**Suddenly, Njobo realized that Mabosu was getting his medicine pouch for the stranger, not the _BaMbuti_ lying still at the big man’s side.But the stranger looked tired, not sick.The man slowly stood up and did something to the white clothing that covered his upper body.It appeared that he was ripping the clothing apart, for the man’s chest was suddenly exposed.Personally, Njobo thought that wearing such a thing as this stranger had on was the height of folly; much too hot.The stranger gazed around him and found a scoop shaped leaf containing a small reservoir of water. He drank thirstily and looked for more.When he had drunk his fill, the tall sky sled rider gently picked up his lifeless companion and again slung him over his shoulder, continuing on the path to the northwest.Finally as the light of the sun disappeared, the stranger stopped, again gently laying his companion down.The darkness descended quickly, but Njobo saw the stranger gaze upward again and then he reached over and touched the metal _BaMbuti_ against the side of his neck.Instantly, the companion sat up and began speaking.A light on the metal clothed man’s chest lit up and Njobo heard another voice._Two voices from the same person?_ Njobo thought.What strange intruders to his world!Truly the gods had a sense of humor sending these two strangers his way.A giant that seemed to have some kind of a connection to the _Ndura_, the forest, and a _BaMbuti_ that seemed to have no connection with the forest whatsoever.He would watch a while longer, see how this intruder fared during the night.**

**  
**

**Njobo left to gather fruit and to build a small fire to roast the monkey.As he was doing so, he found a stand of bamboo and cut a good-sized piece for a _molimo._**

**=======================**

**Hawk woke with bright sunshine in his eyes.He felt sluggish and exhausted, his nightmares having precluded any semblance of restful sleep.Stowing the sleeping bag in the seat behind him, Hawk noticed a light blinking on his communicator. He had deliberately turned it off wanting the privacy of the past few days._Ah, Buck is due back from the Lagrithian assignment.Undoubtedly that is from him, _Hawk thought.**

**  
**

**He flipped the switch.“Earth Directorate to Hawk.Hawk, come in, please.”It was Wilma.**

**  
**

**“Yes, Colonel Deering.This is Hawk,” he answered formally.** ****

**  
**

**“Hawk,” Wilma began and then it was as though something had caught in her throat.He sensed something was wrong, but before he could say anything, she continued.“Hawk, we lost him.We lost Buck, Hawk.We lost him.”Her breath caught again, this time in a sob.**

**  
**

**Fingers of dread grabbed at Hawk’s soul._Buck gone?_“What did you say, Wilma?”** ****

**  
**

**“I said that we lost Buck.He’s dead.”** ****

**  
**

**“What happened?” Hawk asked.“Tell me what happened.”He could not believe his friend was dead.But the nightmares . . . were those the indication of death?Could it be true?**

**  
**

**“He came from the Lagrithian ship.Everything seemed fine at first, but he didn’t make contact and then his ship went into strange maneuvers and then headed west.The ship was acting strangely, accelerating to dangerous speeds right up to the time he crashed in Africa.”**

**“You searched for him?”** ****

**  
**

**“Of course, Hawk.We did it for over eight hours.We ran every kind of scan conceivable.The ship exploded, shortly after impact.There was no way he could have lived through it.No way any of them would have lived through it.There was a thirty foot crater, Hawk.”Wilma’s voice broke.**

**  
**

**“Where are you now, Wilma?” Hawk asked softly, still unable to believe the news.** ****

**  
**

**“Over the Atlantic Ocean heading back to New Chicago.We looked and scanned for hours.There was no sign of Twiki or Theo.None of Buck.Nothing on the scanners,” she repeated.**

**  
**

**Hawk’s immediate desire was to fly to the crash site, but he needed more information.“I will meet you in New Chicago,” was all he said.**

**  
**

**Sadly, he finished packing his supplies and he took off, his mind on his friend.Was that pilot he saw yesterday Buck?Somehow he felt it was.The ones following must have belonged to Wilma’s search party.**


	9. Wonder and Terror

**  
**

**“Dr. Foreenizor, we have picked up Earth Directorate communications that indicate that Captain Rogers died in a crash landing,” Jreeshnar said.He had taken the precaution to inform the leader privately in his cabin.** ****

**  
**

**“What?”** ****

**  
**

**“Our virus carrier crash landed in a remote area of Earth,” Jreeshnar elaborated.“Away from human habitation.”**

**  
**

**“Have they recovered the body yet?” Freenizor asked hopefully.**

**  
**

**“That I do not know, Doctor.”Jreeshnar gazed expectantly at his superior.“What do we do now?”** ****

**  
**

**“We have to wait.The contagion will live for a certain time in a host after it has died,” Foreenizor said.“If that fails we have to find another way to transport the virus.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, Doctor.”**

**  
**

**“We have the contract and the authorization to work on Earth, so we have the excuse to stay here until the contract is complete.”Foreenizor paced and pondered.“We can either pay our respects or entice another Earth person to our ship.It probably won’t be as easy as it would have been before, but in the end, it will be as sure.”**

**  
**

**Jreeshnar asked the question that had been bothering him since he had heard the initial news of Buck Rogers’ deviant flight plan.“Doctor?Do you think he realized what we had done to him?”** ****

**  
**

**Foreenizor sucked in a breath and waved his long fingers in agitation.“Interesting question, Jreeshnar.I am thinking that the virus probably affected him sooner than we predicted.It was created to be quite virulent.”The doctor waved his fingers as he thought.“Of course, he could have suspected.And then tried to commit suicide in order to prevent infecting his fellow humans.”** ****

**  
**

**“He was awake during the procedure.”** ****

**  
**

**“He was not awake, he was only semi-conscious.If he had been awake, he’d have been in my office before he took off.It was a dream to Captain Rogers.I made sure that the sedative had that quality.However, there may have been something powerful enough to trigger memory and suspicion after he took off.”Foreenizor paced the length of his cabin.**

**  
**

**“If they cannot recover his body soon, he will have succeeded,” Jreeshnar pointed out.** ****

**  
**

**“I know that!” Foreenizor barked.Taking another deep breath, he calmed himself down.“I know that,” he repeated, his voice more controlled.“We will work on another way to pass on the contagion.This was only a delay, not a permanent set-back, Jreeshnar.” Foreenizor paced some more.“We will also work on this virus so that it is more predictable on the next person we infect.”** ****

**  
**

**Jreeshnar nodded.“Yes.It is a good thing we disabled his communicator, otherwise, the Earth Directorate would have been alerted.”**

**  
**

**“Yes, that was a very wise move, Jreeshnar.I thank you for your foresight.”**

**  
**

**Jreeshnar nodded in acknowledgement.**

**==============================**

**Buck sat in the sudden darkness feeling his fatigue enfold him like a heavy blanket.He looked at his watch and determined that he had been in the forest for about sixteen hours.He felt he had been running for longer than that, even days.** ****

**  
**

**His stomach growled, but he had neglected to look for anything to eat except for a bit of fruit earlier in the day.And the darkness had fallen so quickly.Well, he would not starve before breakfast, he thought._But what difference would it make, _he thought._I will be dead soon anyway._Someone had once asked him, back in college, he believed it was, of the benefits of knowing one’s death date in advance.He had argued that such knowledge was counterproductive.Now he knew why.A variety of emotions crowded into his chest.Fear, anger, sadness, guilt over what had not been accomplished, frustration, resentment at what was now lost.**

**  
**

**Buck did not have a terror of death, but like most humans he knew, he did not want to die.For the most part, he enjoyed life.He felt anger at the senselessness of this act of terrorism.He was furious with the Lagrithians for putting him into the position of causing the death of the human race.Circumstance had already put him in that position once before and he resented it deeply.He wished he still had his ship. If he had his starfighter, he would ram it down Foreenizor’s throat.**

**  
**

**He remembered a passage from Dickens’ _A_ _Christmas Carol._Scrooge had just been shown the emaciated children under the robe of the Ghost of Christmas Present.“Beware of them . . . and all of their degrees, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.”_How can it be erased? _Buck thought, _I have Doom written on my brow._The thought filled him with despair.**

**  
**

**The dark jungle had not been silent since shortly after the explosion of his starfighter, but now that the sun had set, the forest had become a cacophony of sound.Tree frogs chirped, peeped and boomed, night birds called from their roosts, predators coughed and growled.Buck pulled out his pistol.He wished he had a fire, but he didn’t have the means to start one.He hesitated activating Twiki, but finally he could stand the noisy solitude no longer.He reached over and touched Twiki on the side of the neck.**

**  
**

**“About time, Buck,” the drone said.**

**  
**

**Theo lit up.“Buck, are you all right?” he asked.**

**  
**

**“Yeah,” Buck said noncommittally.**

**  
**

**“You sound tired and depressed, Buck,” Theo observed.**

**  
**

**In his present black mood, Buck had to bite his tongue to keep from saying what he really thought.He knew he would regret it later if he did, though.Instead, he just shrugged.“I walked all day.I have no idea just how far we got from the crash site, I think about eight or so miles, but not as far as I would have liked.So if I sound tired, that’s why.”** ****

**  
**

**“Buck, Twiki and I will watch while you sleep.”** ****

**  
**

**Grunting, Buck murmured, “Does one sleep away one’s last day or two of life?”** ****

**  
**

**“My friend, I cannot believe that there is nothing we can do to prevent your death,” Theo said reassuringly.Twiki beeped his agreement.** ****

**  
**

**“Well, at least we will be preventing an epidemic.”**

**  
**

**“Buck,” Theo began with great emotion.“Your actions are preventing the worst kind of holocaust.”** ****

**  
**

**Somehow, Theo’s words broke the total despair that he had been feeling.Yes, if it would save his friends, it was well worth sitting here in the dark, wet forest waiting for death.“Hmm, thanks, Theo.”They all sat listening to the sounds of the forest for a few minutes.Buck finally rubbed his chin.“Any chance you two have some dinner on you?”** ****

**  
**

**“No, Buck, but perhaps we can start a fire to, at least, provide comfort.”** ****

**  
**

**“I don’t know if you noticed it or not, but it rains a lot here,” Buck responded with a slight smile.** ****

**  
**

**“Your laser pistol will dry enough wood to enable you to start a fire with it, Buck,” Theo said.**

**  
**

**Buck mentally smacked himself on the forehead for not thinking of that._Too much indulgence in my own pity party,_ he thought, pushing the darker feelings away.“Sounds like a plan, Theo.Thanks.”By feel and by Theo’s directions and Twiki’s help, Buck gathered some of the drier wood and laid it carefully in a pyramid.He then aimed his pistol at the base of the stack of wood.The bright light made him blink.The wood steamed and then smoked, and finally it blazed and crackled.**

**  
**

**“Well, I’ll be,” he murmured, edging closer to the cheery warmth of the small fire.In the fringes of the dim light, Buck noticed several fruits lying in a small pile.“What the….?”** ****

**  
**

**“What is it, Buck?”** ****

**  
**

**“I don’t remember seeing any fruit when I first stopped here, but then I was too busy feeling sorry for myself, I guess.”Buck reached over and pulled the food toward him, wondering how it could have fallen so conveniently, but nevertheless grateful for the windfall.He wasn’t going to argue with providence.His stomach growled again and he bit into a golden-globed fruit similar to the one that he had eaten earlier in the day.The succulent juice dripped down his chin and he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, reveling in the sweet taste.“You don’t know what you are missing, Twiki,” Buck said with a laugh, more of his good humor restored.** ****

**  
**

**Twiki beeped.“I’ll pass, Buck.”** ****

**  
**

**As the fire burned to hot coals, he continued to add sticks and small branches.In the distance, Buck heard the sounds of a bird singing, a low lilting and soothing sound.Somehow it comforted him and he found his eyelids growing heavy.Leaning against the tree, Buck dozed off and his dreams were pleasant, filled with the sight, sound and feel of the forest.**

**  
**

**He saw varieties of orchids bud, bloom and fill the forest with their scent.Other flowers bloomed, some heady with fragrance, some not.They were all colors, all sizes, bright and garish, or plain and seemingly insignificant, but nothing seemed insignificant in his dream.Buck didn’t think he had ever seen anything so vivid, so real.It was almost overwhelming, but also enticing.He watched insects buzzing around the flowers and they, too, were of so many shapes and colors and sizes.Buck was taken back to his mother’s flower garden where she lovingly tried to grow snapdragons, mums and daffodils in the small area in front of their brownstone.Only a youngster, maybe five, he had tried to swat away a small bug from one of her daffodils and heard her voice in admonition,“Now William, leave it alone, dear.”“Why?”She laughed and held him close.He squirmed, boys his age weren’t hugged by their mothers.“It is only trying to find something to eat.”That puzzled him.Why would his mother want a bug to eat her few flowers.She worked so hard on them.Then commenced a time he remembered clearly when she explained why she really grew the flowers—to place a piece of nature in the middle of a sometimes stark and harsh city.Buck remembered her lesson, but also remembered her strong arms, her love, the feel of her warm body.**

**  
**

**Returning to the forest, Buck saw one of the brightly carapaced insects take flight and he followed it, watching it buzz around tree trunks and foliage, gathering nectar on its way home to the trunk of a huge tree.Nearby a brightly plumed bird sat on the limb of the same tree, calling its song of love to other birds.It took flight and Buck became that bird, reveling in his ability to maneuver through the dense twilight forest.The bird/Buck flew higher and higher toward the canopy and then he dived, banking and dodging trees, flowers and vines.As the wind whistled by, Buck remembered the time on Osirian when Hawk had first showed him his quasi-wings.He saw the lithe birdman launch from the edge of a cliff and then rise with the air currents to soar and glide overhead.Buck almost took up Hawk’s challenge to try the ‘wings’ but couldn’t quite get up the courage to do it.At least in a starfighter, there was something between himself and the ground below.**

**  
**

**The bird/Buck flew over an okapi and he became the antelope, dancing and leaping over fallen limbs and vines.He felt power in his legs and smelled the headiness of all the jungle fragrances.He smelled the leopard and heard the slight shifting of weight on an overhead limb.Within a heartbeat he heard coughing and then he was the leopard, hungry, lean and powerful, king of everyone and everything.Buck felt the muscles bunch and gather in his haunches.He ran nimbly for the length of the limb and then he leaped, soaring over foliage and animals alike.**

**  
**

**Then he was the sky, looking down over the dark canopy.He was the wind, the sun, the clouds and the rain.He was the _Ndura_, the world.Remotely, Buck wondered where that word came from, but he shrugged it off as unimportant.He saw the huge Mother Forest and the rivers that ran through it.Then he looked further and saw the still raw scars of war and the barren places of the nuclear holocaust.He saw himself kneeling at the graves of his parents and sister and brother, and Buck felt a heavy sadness.Then he returned to the great forest, seeing where, over the lifetimes of its people, it had grown and covered some of the scars of the Great Holocaust.It had covered death and was giving life, and it was still giving life.His heart became lighter, seeing how the Earth could renew itself.That gave him comfort and he felt joy to match that of the forest and its children.** ****

**  
**

**Buck awoke to the dark of the pre-dawn, still feeling wonder at what he had seen in his dream.Never had he dreamed so vividly, with so much clarity.Sitting quietly in the dark, he could remember everything that he had seen and heard and felt.Incredulous, he remembered the joy he had felt during most of the dream and realized that he still felt that happiness and peace.His heart felt lighter than it had since before his trial for treason and he wondered how this could be.Why in the face of death could he feel so much serenity?Could it be that he had seen a view of the Earth renewing itself, a vision of healing?_It doesn’t matter_, he thought, _this sure beats the hell out of being depressed._**

** **

** _  
_ ** _ **** _

**Reaching over, Buck picked up one of the fruits he had not eaten the night before.**

**  
**

**“How are you this morning, Buck?” Theo asked.“Did you rest well?”** ****

**  
**

**“Sure did, thanks.Better than I have for weeks.”Buck saw the laser pistol in Twiki’s hand but didn’t remember dropping it or giving it to the drone.“Did you two have any trouble during the night?”** ****

**  
**

**“My sensors picked up the presence of several animals but they did not do anything, only watched from nearby,” Theo said.**

**  
**

**“Thanks for keeping guard, guys,” Buck said.** ****

**  
**

**Theo said hopefully, “You have not become sick, Buck.Perhaps there is a chance that they miscalculated.”** ****

**  
**

**“They said a day, maybe a bit more.As much as I’d like to be as hopeful as you two are, I will reserve judgment.”Standing up, Buck stretched and rubbed his chin, wishing for a shaver.He gazed around the small campsite and not finding what he was looking for, he explored.Finally Buck found a reservoir of water in the crotch of a tree.First he drank his fill, then he washed his face.“Ah, that’s better,” he said in satisfaction.Turning back to his companions, he smiled.“Gentlemen, I don’t know if the Directorate will be sending out a search today, but we can’t take a chance.**

**“Aw Buck, do I have to?” Twiki asked plaintively.**

**  
**

**“ ’Fraid so, Twiki.I will reactivate you as soon as the coast is clear,” Buck reassured his friend.**

**  
**

**Soon Buck was heading northwest along a tiny trail strewn with debris from the canopy above as well as vines and roots.His pace was not quite as fast as the day before since the forest was denser in this area, but he moved steadily, only stopping twice to get a drink and eat fruit that he found along the trail.The sun-dappled trail continued to lead him farther and farther away from the crash site of his starfighter.Buck heard the passage of a ship only once and that had been not long after he had begun his trek this morning.Since then he had heard nothing other than the creatures of the forest and the sound of thunder and distant rain.**

**  
**

**Finally, around noon, the rain caught up with him and Buck carefully laid Twiki and Theo down under some thick brush.He peeled off his sweat soaked tunic and let the rain sluice down his chest and back.The shower lasted for several minutes and greatly refreshed him.As the rain continued to drip from the trees, Buck noticed the beginnings of a headache, a slight pounding behind his eyes.It intensified as he picked up Twiki and started back down the path.Buck was thankful for the twilight of the forest, as even the dappled sun seemed to add to the throbbing of his migraine.Finally, when he stumbled and almost dropped Twiki and Theo, he stopped, laying his friends down and looking for something to drink.He found a few swallows in the well of a jungle flower and drank it, letting the cool liquid slide down his throat.It gave him scant relief as he sat down and lay his head back against the trunk of a forest giant.Soon his whole body began to ache and he felt himself growing lethargic.Belatedly, he realized that he needed to reactivate Twiki.Buck tried to get up, but couldn’t; his legs had become too weak to support him.He tried to reach the drone on his hands and knees, but only made it a couple of feet before he sank to the ground exhausted.Reaching out, Buck only managed to touch Twiki’s leg.Moaning in frustration and pain, Buck felt himself slipping into a netherworld of unconsciousness._No!_ his mind cried out._Have to awaken Twiki.They have to warn…._Then the blackness overtook him.**

** **It had begun.** **


	10. Njobo Takes Charge

**Njobo sat on a limb, munching on the roasted monkey.He had cooked it away from the stranger’s camp and brought it here to eat while he watched.At the same time, he had placed some fruit near a tree where the stranger could see it.However, the man seemed not to be able to see well in the forest after the setting of the sun.While it was fairly dark, Njobo was very much used to his home and his eyes were used to seeing around him in the dark.He watched as the sky sled rider tried to make himself comfortable.The stranger talked softly to himself, reached for his companion several times but changed his mind and sat back against the tree trunk. He pulled out some kind of metal device and sat it on his lap.Finally he reached over and touched his companion on the neck, under the metal hat that sat on the _BaMbuti’s_ head.The companion immediately shook his head, made strange noises and started talking to the sky sled rider.Lights began showing on the _BaMbuti’s_ chest and the second voice began talking.Njobo could understand none of the voices, but as he finished his meal, he watched carefully.After he had finished, he pulled out his stone knife and began working on the bamboo _molimo_, still observing the pair below him.**

**  
**

**He concluded that this sky rider was from the same clan as the sky rider he had met as a young man.He never had learned much more than the man’s name and a few words of his language, plus the fact that he was from far away. The stranger from long ago had mostly drawn things or made signs to communicate and they had conversed after a fashion before other sky sled riders had rescued him.**

**  
**

**This stranger and his companion finally built a fire, lighting it with the strange and magical weapon that the taller man had been holding.It gave out a bright light that made the wood smoke and then burst into flames.Njobo smiled, thinking that if he had this, it would be something that would make his friends very jealous.The man seemed to relax after he had started the fire._That is good,_ Njobo thought._The stranger is happier and he will be safer._He continued to watch and listen, smiling when the man found the fruit he had left.** ****

**  
**

**Even though the fire made the stranger appear more at ease, he still seemed sad.Perhaps he was feeling unhappy over the destruction of the Mother and Father Forest.Njobo continued to work on his _molimo_ until it was smooth inside as well as out, and he was satisfied.He looked through the bamboo toward the stranger’s fire and saw that he had done a good job.The _molimo _would work well.**

**  
**

**Njobo felt a compulsion to sing to soothe the forest and this man who had so violently become a part of it.Putting the end of the _molimo_ trumpet to his lips, he started softly, first singing the song of the flowers and insects, and then the birds.The notes coming from the end of his _molimo_ sounded like the soft rustling of the breeze through the vines and foliage, then the buzzing of the insects and then the flapping of wings and the soft love songs of the birds he had watched, heard and known all his life.He watched the stranger, he saw the man lean against the tree and close his eyes.Njobo knew that the song was helping the man feel better.**

**  
**

**He changed the song to reflect the lives of the forest floor denizens, the okapi, the sondu and then the leopard.As he sang, he not only saw in his mind the things he was singing about, but he saw other things.He almost dropped the _molimo_ when he saw a woman whose skin was as white as this man’s in a place that was totally foreign to him.He saw the woman with a little boy and realized that the boy was this man a long, long time ago.She called the child, Wil-yam.Just as Njobo was his own name, this man’s name was Wil-yam.As he continued to sing in his _molimo_ about the bright plumed birds, Njobo felt his bird and the man merge into one entity and he felt the stranger’s joy at flying with such freedom through the forest.Then again he saw into the dreams of his stranger.They were in another weird and wonderful place with another stranger who seemed to have the spirit of the bird of prey in him.The bird stranger, whose name was that of a bird, had wings strapped to his back, and he leaped from a cliff into a barren landscape devoid of the forest life that Njobo was so used to.His stranger, Wil-yam, yearned to do the same, but didn’t quite relinquish his fear enough to do so.**

**  
**

**Njobo’s song continued until he was singing of the sky and the wind and the clouds and the rain.He sang of the Mother Forest and of the entire _Ndura_, the whole world, and then Njobo saw the _Ndura_ from which Wil-yam had come.He felt the sadness of this man below him, seeing the land sick and dead, and he felt sadness as well. So Njobo sang a happier song of the forest and felt Wil-yam share in his joy and contentment.The man continued to sleep, while Njobo continued to play the _molimo_.Even after his songs ended, Wil-yam continued to sleep and dream of happy things, while the _BaMbuti_ singer pondered what he had seen and what had happened.**

**  
**

**Njobo had never shared songs and dreams with the stranger from a long time ago._Why have Mother and Father Forest given me these dreams?Why do they wish for me to see into the heart of this stranger?_Finally he decided that this man carried something within him, something that the forest gods wanted him to have.They shared because they both had something to give to each other, Njobo finally decided as he made himself comfortable on the limb.His last sight was of the metal _BaMbuti_ taking the magical weapon and keeping watch over Wil-yam.Then he dreamed the dreams of the forest and shared the dreams of the man below him.And Njobo felt the happiness of the forest gods.** ****

**  
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**The next morning, Wil-yam awoke just before the sunrise, still happy.After the sun rose and after the sky sled rider had eaten and refreshed himself, he picked up the now sleeping metal _BaMbuti_ and set off through the forest.This time the stranger moved a bit slower, his steps careful in the more dense and dark forest in this area.He stopped to find water a time or two, and to eat fruit from trees along the trail.It rained once, refreshing both himself and Wil-yam, who had removed his upper garment to get the full benefit of the rain.After the rain, the sky sled rider put his garment back on and picked up his smaller companion.This time, when the stranger started out again, he walked even more slowly, faltering a time or two.Njobo sensed something wrong and watched carefully.Wil-yam stumbled, almost dropping his metal clad companion.Gently, he laid the strange _BaMbuti_ down and then reclined against a tree.He held his head in his hands and moaned softly.Then he tried to get to his _BaMbuti_ companion._To awaken him?_ Njobo asked himself.The man was in pain; of that there was no doubt.Wil-yam could not reach his companion and fell asleep, his hand on the metal _BaMbuti’s_ leg.Periodically he moaned and shook, but Wil-yam did not wake up._What did he do to awaken his friend the night before? _Njobo pondered what he should do next when he felt a presence behind him.** ****

**  
**

**“Father,” Mabosu said quietly.**

**  
**

**Njobo looked over his shoulder.Behind his son, squatted Aberi, his brother.**

**  
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**“They are both sick,” Mabosu observed, handing his father the _dawa_ pouch.**

**  
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**“No, only the stranger, Wil-yam, is sick,” Njobo stated.**

**  
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**“You have learned his name?” Mabosu asked, incredulous.“Does the metal _BaMbuti_ know our language?”** ****

**  
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**“No, my son, Wil-yam and I shared _molimo_ dreams.”**

**  
**

**Mabosu and Aberi both stared at him.“How is such a thing possible?” Aberi finally asked.**

**  
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**Njobo shrugged.“Only the forest gods know.And only they know why.”He looked back down at the sick sky sled rider.“I want you two to stay away from this camp.I do not know what kind of sickness this one has, but I have to go down and help him, and to try and awaken the metal _BaMbuti._I am going to give the stranger medicine to help his pain and fever.”** ****

**  
**

**Aberi was still staring wide-eyed at the campsite below him.What Njobo had told him about the _molimo_ dreams, plus what his eyes were seeing astonished him beyond measure.“What is that creature?”** ****

**  
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**Njobo chuckled.“Have you never seen a _BaMbuti_ dressed in metal garments before?”** ****

**  
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**“I have only seen enough metal in my lifetime to know what it is, brother,” Aberi replied.“Doesn’t he get hot?”** ****

**  
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**“Maybe that is why he sleeps during the day,” Njobo said.“He has two voices, too.”**

**Aberi did not answer; he continued to just stare at the creature lying still below him.**

**  
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**Then the stranger convulsed and curled up into a ball, crying out in pain.Njobo turned to his son.“You will be the hunter.We will all need meat, especially the stranger, Wil-yam.Try to find a big buck _sondu_. That will give us much meat.”Mabosu nodded.**

**  
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**“Aberi, my brother,” Njobo said.“I leave to you the gathering of more medicines, because I think this one will need much from the _dawa_ pouch, even more than I have.”** ****

**  
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**“_Mangese_ Njobo, I will do as you request.”** ****

**  
**

**“Do not call me great one, until this stranger is well and on his feet again,” Njobo said, clapping his hand on his brother’s shoulder.“I am glad you came.This is a strange time and it is better if one is not alone to face the strange magics.”**

**  
**

**“Njobo, if anyone can make this stranger well, you can.May Mother and Father Forest look after you both,” Aberi said solemnly.**

**  
**

**Looking into his brother’s eyes, Njobo could see that he, too, saw something mysterious and special about this sky sled rider and his _BaMbuti_ companion.Using a vine, he slid down the tree trunk and approached the sick stranger.Lightly he touched the man on the arm, feeling the smoothness of Wil-yam’s clothing as well as the heat of the man’s body.It was as he thought.Part of the man’s sickness was a fever.**

**  
**

**Njobo found a large leaf and folded it to hold water.He next found a reservoir of water in the crotch of a tree and filled the leaf bowl.Reaching into his _dawa_ pouch, he pulled out a small packet of yellowish powder and poured half of it into the water.Laying his pouch against the tree, Njobo held up the stranger’s head and began coaxing him to drink.At first the man didn’t respond and the medicine ran out of his mouth, but then Wil-yam began swallowing, weakly at first, coughing and choking at the taste, but Njobo managed to coax him into drinking it all.Wil-yam opened his eyes and looked at Njobo briefly, and then, with a sigh, closed them again.“Thanks, Twiki,” he murmured. Njobo had no idea what he had said, but knew that the man was not really aware. He seemed to be resting more comfortably, though and in that Njobo was grateful.He gathered more water and gave the sick man another drink. This time, Wil-yam drank eagerly and weakly reached for more when finished.Njobo gently laid the man’s head back down on the soft ground.The sky sled rider immediately fell back into a deep sleep.**

**  
**

**Njobo pondered his next step.Even though it was still daylight, he needed to try and wake the metal _BaMbuti_.On the other hand, it was close to evening, and he needed to build a hut in which the sick man could reside until his illness had passed.Njobo also saw by the glimpses of sky that it would be raining again soon.Njobo looked around for the _fito_ trees, but didn’t see any.Then he heard Aberi above him and jumped back when his brother began dropping the _fito_ saplings to the ground.By the time Njobo had fashioned the _fito_ into the framework of a hut, Aberi had returned with an armload of large heart-shaped _mongongo_ leaves.His brother gathered several arms full and then melted back into the forest to hunt for the barks, roots and berries Njobo needed to help the sick stranger.The _BaMbuti_ took the leaves and covered the framework with them, overlapping them to keep the water from falling on the sick man.Njobo soon finished the hut, leaving the bottom of the framework open to let the fresh air carry away the heat of the sickness.**

**  
**

**Rain began falling and with it came a refreshing breeze.Njobo dragged the metal _BaMbuti_ into the hut and then pondered how to awaken the strange man.He felt that this _BaMbuti_ companion was a key in understanding better what the forest wanted him to do.**

**  
**

**Reaching over, Njobo touched the side of the metal _BaMbuti’s _neck just below the strangely shaped head.Nothing.He moved his finger slightly and felt a place where it fit perfectly.The _BaMbuti_ moved his head, sat up, looked at him and then cried out.The lights came on in front of the strange man and the other voice spoke.**

**Njobo understood neither voice, but still he felt it important to let this strange two-voiced man know what was happening.“I am Njobo of the _Lelo Bazwanna_ group of the _BaMbuti._Father and Mother Forest have led me to you and your companion.He is very sick.You should know this so you can help me make him well again.”Pausing, Njobo watched the strange colored lights on the man’s chest blink on and off.One of the voices made indistinguishable noises and the second voice said something that quieted the first voice.But the one thing Njobo noticed, to his astonishment, was that the two voices had spoken briefly--at the same time!There had to be magic.“You are a _dawa_ man, a _BaMbuti_ of extraordinary magic.You must help me save your friend, the sky rider, Wil-yam.He is very sick.”**

**  
**

**The second voice began speaking again, but this time, it was in his own language.Or close enough to his own language for Njobo to understand him.**

**  
**

**“I can understand you.I am Dr. Theopolis.The other voice is Twiki.You called my friend William.Where did you hear that?”** ****

**  
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**“I shared dreams with your friend.Last night.He was called Wil-yam in the dreams.”** ****

**  
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**“I do not understand exactly what you mean by dreams,” Theo said and then stopped.Buck had mentioned dreams.“I don’t know how you were able to do that, but I am grateful that you did.My friend has several names.William is one of them, but his ‘real’ name is Buck.”**

**  
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**“Buck?” Njobo asked.**

**“Yes,” Theo affirmed.“But however you did the dreams, I thank you.They made him very happy.”** ****

**  
**

**“It was good for me as well,” Njobo said.“But now we must work together to make him well.He is very sick.I have given Buck medicine to bring down his fever.It has helped only a little.”** ****

**  
**

**The metal _BaMbuti_ arose and walked the short distance to his friend and Njobo noticed that the strange man was only a bit shorter than he was.They both could walk easily in the hut he had built.Doc-tor Thee-o-po-lis/Twee-kee took Buck’s hand and held it a moment.**

**  
**

**“I am grateful for your help,” Theo said.**

**  
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**“Doc-tor Thee-o…”** ****

**  
**

**“Buck calls me Theo.That will be easier,” the second voice said.“And you are right.He does indeed have a fever.It is almost 105 º, a very dangerous level.We must get it down.”The strange _BaMbuti_ turned to him.“Is there water nearby?If he is bathed in water it will help to bring down his temperature. And more of your medicine will help as well.”** ****

**  
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**“I used some of my fever remedies when I first came to your camp.It is too soon for more.”** ****

**  
**

**Theo gazed at this man who had doctored Buck.His sensors almost felt overwhelmed.First the idea that there was a tribe of forest dwellers living and apparently still thriving on Earth surprised him.When he had studied old languages, Theo had thought the _BaMbuti_ or Ituri pygmy language was a dead language.He could not ignore the fact, also, that this man was unselfishly helping them.Theo had no idea how he was going to tell this man that he had contracted a deadly virus from the man he was so graciously helping.**

**  
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**“I am called Njobo.I can gather water, but not a great deal at a time.The next time it rains, I can remove the roof of the hut.”** ****

**  
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**“That will help,” Theo said.“And Buck needs plenty to drink.He has lost a great deal of fluid.”**

**  
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**Njobo smiled.“That is easier to do.I will return soon.”** ****

**  
**

**“Njobo, wait,” Theo said.The pygmy stopped and gazed at him.“What Buck has is a very evil sickness, easily spread to other people.You have been close to him.If there are others of your people nearby, do not go near them.”**

**  
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**Njobo nodded.“It is as I suspected, Thee-o/Twee-kee.I will be careful.”And then he was gone.**

**  
**

**Buck moaned and thrashed about weakly.Twiki took his friend’s hand.“You have to make it, Buck.You have to,” he said mournfully.**


	11. Hope and Desperation

**  
**

**“I certainly hope he makes it, Twiki.His temperature has not risen in the last hour, but his pulse is weak and rapid, and he is dehydrated,” Theo observed.** ****

**  
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**Twiki beeped.**

**  
**

**“Yes, I think it would help lower his temperature if you removed his tunic,” Theo agreed.Twiki had just finished the task when Njobo returned, a small wooden bucket in his hand.It appeared to be made out of some kind of bamboo.**

**  
**

**The _BaMbuti_ smiled.“My brother anticipates my needs very well.”There was an even tinier wooden cup inside and Njobo used it to dip out water.Lifting Buck’s head, he gave the sick man a drink.Again, Buck drank eagerly, not even totally waking up.Njobo gave him more and then taking a crudely woven fiber cloth from his pouch, began bathing his patient.**

**  
**

**Buck shivered, but Theo noticed, with satisfaction, that his temperature had lowered slightly, as had his heart rate.Njobo continued to use the water to cool Buck down.**

**“Cold,” Buck mumbled.He slowly opened his eyes and gazed at Njobo in fevered befuddlement.“Who are you?”Then he became more lucid.“What the…?” he cried out and tried to sit up.Njobo shook his head and pushed Buck back down.**

**  
**

**Buck didn’t argue, but he felt despair settle in his heart like a stone.“Who are you?” he asked again, his voice bitter with disappointment.The man in front of him was small and dark, clad only in some kind of woven girdle.His black hair lay in tight curls on his head, but his dark brown eyes gazed at Buck with concern.And not a little confusion.** ****

**  
**

**“Buck, he was caring for you when I was awakened.I believe he is the one who reactivated Twiki, because you were too sick to do so yourself.”Theo then said something to the small man that sounded very much like what Buck had said a moment ago.**

**  
**

**“I am here because I was trying to keep from infecting others,” Buck said despondently.“And I end up in a forest with a human population.”He closed his eyes, but opened them again when the man in front of him began speaking.** ****

**  
**

**“I am Njobo, a _BaMbuti_. Mother and Father Forest sent me to you.Who am I to dispute the gods?”** ****

**  
**

**Buck stared at the pygmy, for that is what he realized Njobo to be, but he said nothing.So much was running through his mind, but he could not understand it all or even keep it straight.It made him tired even to think.“Do you have any water?” he finally asked.“And my clothes.Cold.”Again Theo repeated his request.** ****

**  
**

**Njobo lifted Buck’s head up and held the cup to his lips.Buck drank eagerly, disappointed when he had finished draining the cup.**

**  
**

**“Buck, your temperature was dangerously high and still is, although our ministrations have helped a bit.We had to bring it down with cool water. We can put your tunic back on you, but we may have to take it back off if your fever rises again,” Theo explained.**

**  
**

**Njobo held the cup to his lips again, but Buck tried to push it away after only one swallow.It was the bitterest, foulest tasting liquid he had ever had the misfortune to experience.He choked and coughed.**

**  
**

**“You must drink this.It is medicine for the fever.”Njobo put the cup back to his patient’s lips.** ****

**  
**

**Buck mustered enough energy to glare at Njobo, even while he clamped his lips together.He stomach was sending seditious messages over just the one swallow.“Medicine, hell!This stuff is battery acid!”** ****

**  
**

**Njobo looked puzzled for a second, but then after Theo had more or less repeated what Buck had just said, he returned Buck’s glare with one of his own.“You must drink this. It is medicine to make you well and help you be happy.Drink it!”** ****

**  
**

**The _BaMbuti_ and the sick man stared at each other for a brief moment and then Buck acquiesced.“All right, already.I’ll drink it.”He felt so tired.So horribly tired, he thought, closing his eyes.He felt the cup pressed to his lips and he began swallowing the vile tasting liquid, struggling to keep it down.**

**  
**

**Njobo’s singsong voice sounded soothing.“Good, this will help the fever come down,” he reminded his patient.“You will rest now.”**

**  
**

**Opening his eyes, Buck saw Njobo mixing something else in the cup.He watched sleepily as the pygmy stirred the mixture and then turned to him.**

**  
**

**Despite his anger at his plans being frustrated, despite his thoughts of self-pity, Buck was grateful to this man who chose to take care of him, a stranger.“Thanks, Njobo,” he murmured.“Thanks for your help.”** ****

**  
**

**Again, Njobo looked puzzled, but he made no comment, only holding the cup to Buck’s lips.This time, the drink was pleasant tasting and the sick man swallowed eagerly.Buck heard Theo saying pretty much the same thing that he had just told Njobo, but he was feeling too tired to even wonder about that.He didn’t even remember taking the last swallow.** ****

**  
**

**=============================** ****

**  
**

**When he landed, Hawk found Wilma waiting for him.Although she was keeping some measure of decorum, it was obvious that Buck’s disappearance—Hawk was not ready to admit to Buck’s death—had shaken her badly.Her demeanor was anything but the calm, cool commander that she usually was in public.They left the landing bay in silence, but as they walked through the less public corridors, she finally blurted, “Hawk, it seems so impossible.After all of the dangerous missions, all of the close calls, to have something happen like this.Something so mundane as a simple return home from orbit.”**

**  
**

**“Buck did not communicate at all?” Hawk asked.**

**  
**

**“No.”** ****

**  
**

**“That is not like Buck.And it is protocol to get landing instructions,” Hawk mused.**

**  
**

**“I know, Hawk.”They both walked in silence down the corridor.“I am going to change and then go out tomorrow.Even though the data says Buck died out there, I have to keep looking.If there is the barest chance….”There had to be a chance.Buck could not be dead.He couldn’t be, her heart told her.Deep, dark fear had gripped her heart after the explosion of Buck’s ship, but she had to stay strong.She had to believe that Buck would be out there somewhere, waiting for them.** ****

**  
**

**Hawk nodded.“Yes, Buck has managed to come through very tight situations before.I will join you.”** ****

**  
**

**This time Wilma shook her head.“The search crews have been chosen.I am not on the list, but I am also the exo-officio commander of the Defense Forces.” She smiled grimly.“Rank does have some privilege.”**

**  
**

**“I would still like to be a part of this.”** ****

**  
**

**She sighed.“I know, Hawk.But if there are too many searchers, there is danger in that as well.”She heard the pain in the birdman’s voice and realized that, being so close to Buck, this had to be tremendously hard on him.** ****

**  
**

**He nodded.“But you must get some rest before you go out.They could be searching and rescuing you, if you fly without sleep.”** ****

**  
**

**“I know, and I am going to go rest now.”She laid her hand on the birdman’s arm.“Hawk, I am so afraid that the sensors are right, but I can’t totally believe them.Not now, not yet.”** ****

**  
**

**“I haven’t even seen the data.I cannot believe that Buck could be dead.”He paused. “Wilma, since I am not allowed to help search, may I study the communications data?”** ****

**  
**

**“Of course, Hawk.We can ask Dr. Huer for them.”Wilma nodded and turned away.** ****

**  
**

**“Wilma,” Hawk began.** ****

**  
**

**“Can we talk later, Hawk?I just want to be alone for a while.”** ****

**  
**

**He nodded.“But any time you wish company, just call me.”** ****

**  
**

**“Thanks, Hawk,” Wilma said.“And I will.”**

**  
**

**The birdman watched her walk slowly down the corridor.He realized this was the same complex where his and Buck’s apartment was located.Buck had insisted that he share the apartment with him while the _Searcher_ was being refitted and readied for another journey.Now it was his apartment, it seemed, at least temporarily.Hawk began feeling some of Wilma’s melancholy as he entered Buck’s apartment.He strode purposefully over to the alcove and picked up the portrait of Koori that Buck had commissioned a crewman to do for him.**

**  
**

**Buck had given it to him on the anniversary of his birth.Smiling, Hawk remembered the subterfuge that had been employed to get a birth date from him.Buck did not realize at the time that the important date was not the actual birth, but the conception date.The next most important date was the bonding to one’s life mate.By the time Hawk finally realized what his friend was up to; the subterfuge had become a great deal more obvious.Transparent, in fact.And he had given Buck his birth date.The gift had touched him more than Buck could know.It was a beautiful likeness of his life mate, so much so that Hawk could even feel Koori’s spirit in her eyes every time he looked at the portrait; that fiery essence he had loved so much.Buck had worked with the crewmember artist, using a mind probe machine to get Koori’s features correct.Hawk gazed at the picture before setting it down and walking through the rest of the apartment.** ****

**  
**

**Although Buck had taken some of his personal belongings on the _Searcher_ that he had accumulated during his almost full year tenure on Earth, most had been left here.And it made Hawk feel as though Buck was standing by his shoulder.Hawk felt like a stranger in a haunted eyrie.He looked again, at Koori’s picture.Buck, on occasion, felt guilt over his part in the death of his life mate.He had been with him when she died, been with him at the beginning of his life without revenge.They were all three tied together with metaphysical bonds that transcended death.At least that was the way Hawk felt.That was part of the beliefs of his people.“Watch over him,” he murmured.**

**  
**

**Then Hawk really did feel something, much as he had during other times when danger threatened._Buck or Koori?_But the other times had been Koori, either comforting or warning him.“Koori?” he whispered.** ****

**  
**

**There was no answer.There was no comfort or warning.It was like someone was trying to get his attention.But for what?He lightly touched the picture with one finger and then he turned and left the room, not even bothering to stow his camping gear.** ****

**  
**

**He went directly to the main communications room and requested to see the records of Buck’s crash.** ****

**  
**

**“Sir, you are not authorized to see this information.It is still under investigation anyway,” the diminutive clerk told him.** ****

**  
**

**“Colonel Deering gave me the authorization,” he told her, keeping the irritation out of his voice.** ****

**  
**

**“I’m sorry, sir, but Colonel Deering didn’t give that authorization to me.”**

**  
**

**“Then contact her and ask,” Hawk ordered, his dark eyes snapping with irritation.Wilma would not be asleep yet.**

**  
**

**She nodded and her fingers played across the communications console.After a few minutes, the young woman looked up and shook her head.“She is not taking calls right now, sir.May I leave a message for the colonel?”** ****

**  
**

**“No, contact Dr. Huer or Admiral Asimov of the _Searcher._”** ****

**  
**

**Again she nodded.Again she looked up after only a minute. “Dr. Huer is in conference and Admiral Asimov does not have authority in this case.”She saw the anger in his eyes.“Sir, I will be happy to leave a communication with both parties and call you as soon as I hear from them.I am sorry, but that is the best I can do for you right now.”**

**Hawk sighed and forced himself to calm down. The girl was not at fault.“Thank you.Please tell them that Hawk is requesting the records.”**

**“Yes, sir, Mr. Hawk,” she said with a slight smile.She looked relieved more than anything.If she had known him twelve months ago, this slight communications officer would have had good reason to feel relief.He had learned much patience living with humans and dealing with alien creatures these past months.**

**  
**

**He decided to explore the Inner City while he waited.As he walked the heights, he thought about Wilma’s reaction to Buck’s death.It seemed more than the grief of a friend. The colonel’s reactions reminded him of his own reactions when Koori died.It was obvious to him now, whereas before it had been merely a suspicion, that Wilma had more than friendly feelings for Buck.Somehow, Hawk felt Buck had had some of the same feelings for her, too.They simply had not fully realized it, or were suppressing those feelings.Hawk felt, from having been around Buck so much in the past months, that there was something holding his friend back, tethering him and preventing him from deeper ties than those of filial friendships, especially with women.Especially Wilma.** ****

**  
**

**Hawk continued to watch the sky above the atmospheric dome, and the workings of the city, watching people below who appeared as small as ants.He wandered the botanical park, some of the shopping areas, rode the monorail.He pondered and reasoned and remembered.In the late afternoon, he ate in a small restaurant and then he found himself drawn to the heights of the city again.While he was watching the levels below Hawk felt the presence of another, but he said nothing, knowing who it was.** ****

**  
**

**“This was where I took Buck when I first met him.I thought he was a spy at the time,” Wilma said quietly.“Throughout his whole ordeal during the time just after his awakening, I thought he was a spy.And all during that he was saving the Earth from subjugation.Even though I thought him a traitor, there was something about him, something I found . . . I don’t know, Hawk.I can’t put it into words.”Wilma leaned against the railing next to Hawk.“I thought he was crass and boorish, but he seemed so vulnerable.And he was seeing some things so much more clearly than the rest of us were.I couldn’t understand his five hundred year old thought processes then.”She paused and took a deep breath.“And now that I think I do understand him, it’s likely he’s gone.”She bowed her head and began sobbing.** ****

**  
**

**“It is like my Koori.She has become more precious now that she is gone.”He gathered Wilma in his arms and let her cry on his chest.He said nothing more.**

**  
**

**After a while, she backed away and wiped her eyes.They had the determined look of Colonel Deering, commander of the starfighter forces of the Earth Defense Directorate.“But I am not convinced that Buck is gone.I am going back, Hawk.I am giving you access to all of the communications data.”She smiled.“I received the message that you had tried to access it and were denied.I’m sorry that I didn’t do that before I went to my apartment.”** ****

**  
**

**“That is all right, Wilma.I understand,” Hawk said.“Did you get any sleep?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, some,” she said.**

**  
**

**Hawk felt that what sleep Wilma had received was not terribly restful.“Be careful, Wilma.I do not want to be out there trying to save you.”** ****

**  
**

**She laughed softly.“The day you have to save me, Hawk, is the day I will try out your quasi-wings.”**

**  
**

**“I don’t wish to have to save you to get you to fly with me, Wilma, but I will hold you to a future session.You and me and Buck.”** ****

**  
**

**Wilma looked into Hawk’s eyes.“Thanks, Hawk.Thanks for your faith.”** ****

**  
**

**“Just be careful out there.”**

**  
**

**She nodded and then turned and left.Later, despite what she had said, Hawk took his own fighter and flew after her, flying higher than the search team to survey the huge forest that hid his friend.Throughout the day, he heard the discouraged voices, felt the determined optimism turn to discouragement and then sadness.He flew back alongside Wilma as the sun set on the jungle below.Wilma silently dipped her wing in grateful acknowledgement, but said nothing over the radio.Arriving back at the early morning of a New Chicago day, Wilma silently walked to her apartment.**

**  
**

**Eight hours later, by the time Hawk had arisen from his own troubled sleep, Wilma had already gone out with the search team.This time, Hawk stayed behind.He studied the data from Buck’s crash and was unable to come to any conclusions.**


	12. Journey

**Buck’s temperature varied only slightly as the twilight deepened into full night.Despite that, Theo was hopeful, knowing what Buck had told him of the Lagrithian’s expectations.**

**  
**

**Njobo silently prepared the medicines that his brother had brought, pounding the roots of the fever plant into a type of mush that would dissolve in water.He turned to Twiki.“Twee-kee/Thee-o, do you think you could build a fire like the one you started last night?”** ****

**  
**

**Theo decided it was time to try and introduce the _BaMbuti_ to the concept of his and Twiki’s separate identities.While Twiki gathered wood and laid it in a pile similar to what Buck had done, he began, “I know this is hard to explain, but Twiki is one entity and I am another.We are two individuals.”** ****

**  
**

**Njobo studied the metal _BaMbuti_.“There are two of you?How do you both reside under the metal garments?”** ****

**  
**

**“I do not reside under the metal garments.I am a….”Here Theo hesitated, trying to figure out how to explain what he was.He just used the word. “I am a quad.I reside in the box around Twiki’s neck.”** ****

**  
**

**Twiki laid the last stick of wood for the fire and sat back. Njobo reached over and touched Theo’s case, watching the lights blink.“Thee-o?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes.”** ****

**  
**

**“How do you reside in this . . . box?” he asked, incredulous.** ****

**  
**

**“You called Twiki and I a _dawa_ man, referring to magic.Let us just leave it at that.It is rather magical.”** ****

**  
**

**Njobo nodded, not totally understanding, but feeling that the forest gods did.He would trust the Forest and trust these _dawa_ men.“And Twee-kee, is he a _BaMbuti_?”** ****

**  
**

**“No, he is a quad, too.An ambu-quad is also known as a drone and they can move about on their own.”** ****

**  
**

**Njobo didn’t understand Thee-o’s words at all this time, except for the part about Twee-kee not being a _BaMbuti._That, Njobo thought, would explain why there seemed to be no connection between the metal man and the forest.** ****

**  
**

**Twiki aimed the laser pistol at the wood and soon had a fire going just outside the entrance of the hut.Njobo took a branched stick and cut it so that it would hold his leaf cup.He held it above the fire, low enough to heat, but not so low as to burn the container.Njobo continually checked the mixture and smiled his approval when he felt it ready.He took the medicine and went into the hut where he saw Buck watching him.**

**  
**

**The hazel eyes were bright with fever, but there was awareness.“That the good stuff, or the nasty?” he asked, his voice almost a whisper, as though too tired to even speak.** ****

**  
**

**Njobo shook his head not understanding.“Why is it you seem to understand me, but I cannot understand you?”** ****

**  
**

**Buck also shook his head.It was too hard to think.“I don’t know.”Theo translated what he said, but it sounded exactly like what he said the first time.Buck shook his head again, thoroughly confused.He felt like hell.He didn’t recall ever feeling this bad in his life. “How long have I been sick?” he murmured.**

**  
**

**“I can only guess, Buck.I would say a little over twelve hours,” Theo replied.**

**  
**

**“They said death would be quick,” he moaned.** ****

**  
**

**“Buck, you have held up well.Njobo is giving you medicine.Surely the fever will break soon.”**

**  
**

**Buck said nothing, only closed his eyes and sighed.Njobo lifted his head and held the cup to his lips.“It tastes bad, but the medicine is good, Buck Sky Sled Rider, Sharer of Dreams,” Njobo whispered.Buck understood what he wanted and swallowed, even though his stomach protested.When he finished Njobo’s medicine, he took several deep breaths, closed his eyes and muttered, “I’d better get well, because death is better than this stuff.”** ****

**  
**

**“Here is the better tasting medicine,” Njobo said with a grin after Theo had translated Buck’s comments.Like before, this drink went down much easier.When he had finished, Njobo gently let Buck’s head rest back on the pillow of grasses.**

**  
**

**“Did Theo tell you that you were going to get this?” Buck asked softly.**

**Njobo turned to Theo, who translated; then the _BaMbuti_ turned back to Buck.“Yes, he told me.But all things are as Father and Mother Forest wish.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck felt the aching, persistent pain subside somewhat and he sighed.“I’m sorry, Njobo.I am truly sorry.”** ****

**  
**

**Again, Theo translated.**

**  
**

**“Buck, the Forest has brought you here for some purpose.All things will work for good and then the Forest will be happy along with all of her children.You are now one of the Forest’s children.You and Thee-o and Twee-kee.”**

**  
**

**Slowly Buck raised his hand and laid it on Njobo’s._So tired,_ he thought.“Njobo, I . . . I thank you.”**

**  
**

**Theo repeated his words and Buck frowned.This was an irritant to him, this constant translating, and yet, he felt that he should know why it was necessary.“Theo, why can’t Njobo understand me?I can understand him.”Buck blinked, trying to focus on the quad.He was having trouble staying awake.**

**  
**

**“Buck, you still have your translator on,” Theo said simply, and then he said something about magic to Njobo.**

**“Oh,” he mumbled, yawning. He closed his eyes and slept.**

**  
**

**Throughout the night, Buck’s temperature fluctuated and the high fever brought convulsive chills and an aching pain that made him moan and thrash weakly on his makeshift bed.**

**  
**

**Theo, Twiki and Njobo alternated the medicine with water baths.Finally toward dawn, Njobo put his _molimo_ to his lips and began to sing a soft melodious tune.The notes seemed to hang in the air and blend together, creating a harmony that included all aspects of the forest, past and present.Buck stopped shivering and his breathing slowed.**

**  
**

**As the morning sun turned dark shadows into distinct shapes, Theo checked Buck’s vital signs and moaned softly.He had so much hoped that they could pull Buck through this.Now, despite the fact that Theo was supposed to be an objective, emotionless creation, he felt an overwhelming sadness.“Buck has slipped into a coma,” he told Twiki, translating for Njobo.The _BaMbuti_ only stopped his singing long enough to say, “He still has a journey to make.”Njobo continued to play softly.Theo did not understand to what the _BaMbuti_ was referring.He could only watch and monitor his friend’s vitals.**

**  
**

**“Twiki, there is still a chance that the Directorate is looking for Buck.You must shut down.I will awaken you subsonically if I need you.I will keep my sensors on low power, just enough to monitor Buck’s condition.”Twiki beeped sadly and then deactivated himself.**

**  
**

**============================**

**Buck felt and heard the soft music and it soothed the aching pain that had settled in his joints and muscles.Then the cobwebs cleared from his mind and he felt more alert than he had since the beginning of this sickness._Well,_ he thought in wry amusement, _Njobo’s rat poison must work after all._Sitting up, he looked around the hut.Twiki and Theo seemed oblivious to his movements; even though the latter appeared to be activated.Njobo continued to play his instrument, eyes tightly closed in concentration.Bright sunlight shone around the edges of the leaf thatching and beckoned him.Buck crawled out of the hut and stood up, stretching.The aches and pains were gone, he noted with deep gratitude.** ****

**  
**

**The forest seemed clean and bright, almost surreal, very much like the Appalachian Mountains after a hard summer rain.Mist lay like soft wispy clouds on the ground.He looked up and saw canopy thick and seemingly impenetrable above him, but it was still bright, almost like pure sunlight.A soft breeze blew strands of hair from his forehead and he absently ran his hand through his hair, smiling when it flopped back.The breeze held the fragrance of fresh flowers with no hint of forest decay.**

**  
**

**Buck gazed around him, but could see no paths and nothing to give him a sense of where to go.Shrugging, he just began walking, reveling in the simple pleasure of feeling good.He continued through the forest, seeing several monkeys in the trees along with birds of various colors and sizes.They joined in the melody that Buck had heard and continued to hear softly wafting in the air. A jungle cat peered at him without fear from atop a limb.Somehow, Buck didn’t feel any fear, either and walked underneath the limb without a second glance.Soon he came to a clearing, one that surrounded a shimmering lake.Lilies floated serenely in the placid waters, birds waded sedately, seemingly not interested in the fish that swam near the surface.The mist did not extend into the clearing and when he gazed toward the far side of the pond, Buck’s jaw dropped.There, sitting on a wooden bench, were his parents.He continued staring and his mother smiled and beckoned.**

**  
**

**Still not believing what he was seeing, Buck slowly walked around the pond.Then as his mother got up and moved toward him, he trotted toward her, a grin spreading across his face.“Mom!” he called out._They are alive!_Then he stopped.The trial for treason!Even though she seemed happy to see him, was she really?His father remained seated, his face devoid of any emotion that Buck could discern.Buck stood quietly as his mother approached him._What is going on?Why?_He had known going back was impossible, but now he was here, he was actually seeing his parents, and able to talk to them, explain, apologize.Buck found that he was suddenly very afraid and he didn’t understand that either.**

**  
**

**“Oh, Buck.Oh, son, it’s so good to see you again.”She stood back and looked him up and down.Buck imagined he was a sight after slogging through the jungle, but when he also looked down, he saw that his uniform was clean and neat, as though he had just put it on.He looked back into his mother’s eyes.She was smiling and her eyes had a mischievous glint in them.“You don’t look a day over one hundred.”Buck heard that one often enough since his awakening, but from his mother?He gaped.** ****

**  
**

**She reached out and lightly touched his sleeve, then took his hand, enfolding it in her own. “Oh, Buck, you look wonderful.Your new life has been good to you.”And she reached out and grabbed him, and pulled him to her, hugging him tightly.He felt her warmth; it was real.He reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her._This is no dream_, he thought.He smelled the faint scent of hyacinth, his mother’s favorite fragrance. He felt her arms, her comforting, strong but gentle arms and everything that had been ripped from his soul when his ship had malfunctioned came rushing back.**

**  
**

**Buck thought about what she had said.He drew back, but still held onto her.“You know?” he asked inanely.** ****

**  
**

**“Of course, Buck.Do you think I wouldn’t be interested in what you are doing, and wouldn’t occasionally check up on you?”She smiled.“That was the only way I knew how you were doing after you joined the Air Force.”**

**  
**

**Buck let the standing ‘why don’t you call me occasionally’ reminder pass.There was something he had to hear.“But the holocaust, the charges,” he stammered.** ****

**  
**

**Her face clouded.“That was a hard time, son.Government agents went through your things that were still stored at the house, they went through our things.They questioned us; they questioned other family members.We kept it to ourselves, but there were a few of our friends who were questioned, too, and they were not kind.”She paused when she saw Buck’s face.**

**  
**

**Horror alternated with sadness, guilt and anger.“I knew it.I knew the CIA or some agency would harass you over that.I knew it,” Buck murmured, his emotions mixing in a cauldron beyond anything a witch could conjure up.** ****

**  
**

**His mother continued.“But despite everything, I couldn’t believe it.You are my son and I raised you to be honorable,” Edna Rogers said, reaching up and touching his face.“But it was hard.”** ****

**  
**

**“I’m sorry,” he cried and hugged her again.“I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”** ****

**  
**

**“Why, son?” You were only doing what you were asked to do in order to save our country.To try and save our world.How could anyone know that half truths would be brought to light to defame you?”**

**  
**

**He could not let go of his mother.Emotion welled to overflowing.Everything that he had tried to suppress refused to be suppressed any longer.Buck thought of all his parents had gone through on his account, and that and the stress of trying to fit into a new culture, time and place overwhelmed him.He began to cry on his mother’s shoulder.He had not cried since he was a little boy, but he could not stop.Tears flowed freely and sobs racked him.**

**  
**

**“It’s all right, son,” his mother murmured in his ear.“It’s all right.I am so proud of you.So proud of the man you became and the man you are now.No mother could be prouder.She continued to hold him tight.Finally, she pulled away from him again when he had calmed enough to regain control. “And how many mothers can say that her son has saved the Earth.”**

**  
**

**She smiled and Buck smiled in return. He wiped his eyes on his sleeve.“I’m too old for this,” he said softly, but he didn’t feel too sorry.He was only relieved that he had done this in front of his mother and not his friends.** ****

**  
**

**“Too old for what, Buck?A hug from your mother?” she quipped.** ****

**  
**

**Buck smiled again, reveling in her bantering cheerfulness.There was only one more thing to make this complete.“You have any cookies?” he asked.** ****

**  
**

**“Chocolate chip?”**

**  
**

**Buck nodded.“Of course.”** ****

**  
**

**“No, not now, unfortunately.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck looked up and saw his father standing just behind his mother.**

**  
**

**“Dad,” he said, stepping toward the elder Rogers.**

**  
**

**His father handed him a handkerchief and then just stared at him for a moment.Finally, he spoke in a voice so low Buck had to strain to hear him. “That’s a fine uniform, son. You’ve worn it well, with honor. Just as you did your Air Force uniform.”** ****

**  
**

**Emotion welled up again, but this time, Buck had no trouble controlling it.“Thanks, Dad,” he said with a smile.“But sometimes I miss wearing the old one.”** ****

**  
**

**“No, son, don’t miss it.What you are doing now is so much more important.”He paused and looked toward the ground.“You know, I’m afraid I didn’t have the same kind of faith your mother had in you.I was angry, I was hurt and I felt shame.”** ****

**  
**

**“I’m sure you did.The evidence was pretty convincing.”His heart wrenched with the same feelings of guilt and anger that he had been dealing with for the past couple of months.“And I don’t blame you for a minute.I was even doubting myself, Dad.”** ****

**  
**

**“But you are my son!I should have had the faith in you that your mother had.I should have known!Forgive me, son.”** ****

**  
**

**His father was asking his forgiveness?“Dad….”** ****

**  
**

**“William . . . Buck, when the bomb hit Chicago, in the brief seconds before death came, I felt what your mother held in her heart during that time of shame and finger-pointing.I knew then that you were no traitor.And now the truth has finally come to light for everyone to know.You are no traitor.You never could have been.”** ****

**  
**

**“A very close friend told me you would know.” Buck stepped forward and gave his father a bear hug.“There’s nothing to forgive, Dad.Nothing.”** ****

**  
**

**His parents led him to the bench on which they had been sitting.They sat down together; Buck between his parents, and watched the pond in comfortable, peaceful silence for several minutes.Buck wondered about this place.“You mentioned your death. Where are we, Dad?This forest looks familiar, but it seems dreamlike, too.”He gave his father a bemused look and then his eyes widened in shock.“Am I dead?” he whispered.“Is this heaven?”** ****

**  
**

**“It’s dreamlike because you are not really here, son,” the elder Rogers said.“And we are sort of between heaven and Earth.”** ****

**  
**

**“Son, you are not dead, but you are close to it,” his mother added, gazing deeply into his eyes.“Buck, you have what no one else has had the opportunity to experience.”She paused and took a deep breath.“You have had the opportunity to make a difference in two times, two different worlds.There was a reason you were preserved for this time, and as much as you have already accomplished, I believe there is much more for you to achieve.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck said nothing for a moment.“Why am I here with you now?If it’s not my time to join you, why am I here at all?I mean, it’s not that I’m not happy to see you and . . . but….” he stammered.**

**  
**

**His father laid his hand on Buck’s arm.It felt as strong as it had ever felt when he was a boy.“William, you are living in the twenty-fifth century, but you are still tied to your past.You cannot totally let it go.”** ****

**  
**


	13. Journey's Return

**  
**

**Puzzled, Buck said, “I don’t think I understand, Dad.Am I supposed to forget my first thirty years?”** ****

**  
**

**“No, of course not, Buck.”His father hesitated and then smiled.“It’s hard getting used to calling you that.”Then he grew serious again.“Son, your bond to the past is one woven by guilt.You had suppressed it for the most part, but that damnable trial brought it back to the forefront of your thinking.”** ****

**  
**

**“Guilt?” Buck repeated.** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, Buck,” his mother said.“You lived and we died.Under horrible circumstances.Deep inside you have felt responsibility for our suffering, or felt you should have been there to suffer with us.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck could only gaze at the mossy surface beneath his feet.He felt the truth of what they were saying even as he wanted to deny it.** ****

**  
**

**“It’s ironic, son, that the trial would accuse you of doing physically what you had already felt psychologically,” his father said, “And couple that with a good old fashioned dose of future shock.”**

**  
**

**His mother took his hand.“You have nothing to feel guilty about, Buck.We are so very proud of how you have not only worked to make your new world your own, but you have fought to keep it alive and to make it better.You have lived in the past so you can save your future.”Seeing Buck’s puzzled look, she laughed.“I will leave it to you to figure out that last statement.”** ****

**  
**

**“Remember us, son, but do not feel anything but joy in your memories of us.We are happy and regret nothing, except maybe not telling you kids more often just how much we loved you,” his father said.** ****

**  
**

**“Son, move on.Draw your new friends more tightly into your life.They can help you, they already have.”His mother paused, as though trying to find words.“You know, your fiancé moved on after your ‘death.’She went back home to Ohio and just before the holocaust, she had married a childhood friend.”**

**  
**

**Buck just stared dumbfounded for a moment.“Jennifer?She married?Oh.I guess….”He assimilated the information, but still the idea that she would have married someone else had never occurred to him.And it kind of hurt that she moved so quickly, too.**

**  
**

**“She could not cling to something that was not there, no matter how much she had loved you.And she did love you, Buck,” his mother added.She paused and held his hand more tightly. “Move on,” she repeated.“There are people as special as Jennifer in this time.They are closer than you think, Buck.”**

**  
**

**His mother and father stood up.“It has been wonderful seeing you, talking with you, but we must leave and you must go back, too.”**

**  
**

**“Go back?So soon?” he asked plaintively.**

**  
**

**“Yes,” they said together.Although not wishing an end to the visit, Buck felt a kind of finality of this place, and knew that nothing he could say or do would keep them longer.He felt something pulling at him as well.Standing up, he hugged them both and watched as they walked away and were soon lost to his view.Buck turned and suddenly began feeling weak and lethargic.There was a throbbing pain and then nothing but darkness.** ****

**  
**

**===========================** ****

**  
**

**As Njobo continued his _molimo_ song, Theo continued to monitor Buck’s vital signs.He was concerned that his friend’s breathing and heart rate were slowing.He watched and listened intently, worrying in his own computer fashion that Buck, despite everything they had done, might indeed die.And he was sad.**

**  
**

**Suddenly Buck sighed and Theo noticed that his heart rate and breathing increased to a more normal and healthy rate.**

**Njobo suddenly stopped playing and put his _molimo_ down.His eyes lost their dreamy look and he said, “He has returned from his journey.”**

**  
**

**“What journey?” Theo asked.** ****

**  
**

**“You will have to ask him. I am not sure.I only know it was something necessary,” Njobo said quietly.“It is now time for his medicine.”Njobo administered to his patient and then said, “I will be back in a short while.”He stepped out of the hut and was gone.**

**  
**

**Theo continued to monitor Buck’s vital signs even as he pondered what Njobo meant.**

**  
**

**Twiki beeped plaintively and said, “Buck’s going to get well, isn’t he?”** ****

**  
**

**Theo’s lights blinked for several seconds before he answered.“I think he will, Twiki.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck slept through most of that day, only awakening enough to drink Njobo’s medicines.Theo had Twiki place him near his human friend and he continued to constantly monitor Buck’s progress after the drone had deactivated himself again.He was pleased that his fever not only did not rise, but it actually dropped a degree.Finally in late afternoon, Buck sighed and opened his eyes.He gazed around the hut with a puzzled look on his face. Then he saw Twiki and Theo.A soft smile lit his face.**

**  
**

**“How are you feeling, Buck?” Theo asked.**

**  
**

**There was a pause.“Uh, better, I think,” he murmured.“Could I get something to drink?He remembered his dream._Was it a dream?Was it something else?_He remembered the stories of out of body experiences and wondered.He pondered sleepily and somehow felt that he and his parents had made some kind of connection.Buck shivered and not entirely from the cold.**

**  
**

**“You were near death earlier today, Buck,” Theo said.**

**  
**

**Buck wondered if that was when he had been with his mother and father.Mentally, he shrugged.It was still hard to think.“But I didn’t die, thanks to you two and Njobo,” he said softly.He looked around for the pygmy and saw him squatting in the doorway, grinning.**

**“The forest is happy.You are happy.That is good,” Njobo said.“Now it is time for you to get better.”**

**  
**

**“Yes,” was all Buck said.**

**  
**

**Njobo seemed to understand because he nodded before Theo translated.**

**  
**

**“It’s daytime,” Buck murmured, noticing the light coming from outside the hut.**

**“Yes, Buck.In fact it’s close to evening,” Theo answered, but Buck had fallen back to sleep.**

**==========================**

**The computer council stood in austere court in their meeting chamber.Wilma remembered being here when Buck was on trial.The first one.Although her head, filled with logical facts and figures, had told her that that trial and its verdict were right, her heart had given her mixed signals.Now, as the council members reiterated the lists of data and facts in the crash of Buck Rogers’ starship, she felt no logic, she only heard her heart telling her that Buck couldn’t be dead.He simply couldn’t be.**

**  
**

**Doctor Correllis was speaking.“Although we realize the immeasurable service that Captain Rogers has given to Earth and the Directorate, we cannot ignore the facts that have been presented.There is nothing that gives any indication that Captain Rogers is alive and that our fellow councilman, Dr. Theopolis and the drone, Twiki are still extant.Therefore, despite the wishes of our esteemed head of the Defense Directorate, we must reluctantly discourage the expansion of the search for Captain Rogers.We cannot continue to expend the resources of the Directorate on such a search when the Defense forces are involved in so many extra-solar activities and they and the Directorate budget are already stretched so thinly.** ****

**  
**

**“We also officially declare Captain Buck Rogers to be dead, as well as officially acknowledge the demise of Dr. Theopolis and Twiki.We unanimously agree that a memorial service for the aforementioned heroes be conducted in two days in the Plaza of Heroes.”There was a long pause.“However, in deference to Doctor Huer and Colonel Deering who had requested an extension of the search, we are directing high altitude scans as well as further study of already gathered data.That is our decision, made amongst the full body of the council.”** ****

**  
**

**Dr. Huer rose, his face as passive as possible, but Wilma knew that inside he had continued to feel hope, just as she had.“Thank you, Doctor Correllis, council members,” he began.“I know that this was a difficult task that we gave you, considering how much we have all come to admire and respect Captain Rogers.As head of the Earth Directorate, I cannot fault your findings even though I cannot totally agree with them.I do appreciate your consideration for a continued, though less strenuous search.A memorial service will be conducted at nine o’clock on Wednesday morning.That is a little more than a day and a half from now. I can only say that Captain Rogers will be missed.His has been a great service to the people of Earth.”** ****

**  
**

**Looking up at her, Dr. Huer mouthed, ‘I’m sorry.”She nodded her thanks for his efforts.Bowing his head in defeat, Dr. Huer turned and left the room.Wilma sat in the gallery, stunned.Although more tired than she cared to admit, after having spent three days diligently searching the crash site and the near vicinity for any sign of Buck, she had hoped that the council would have approved a ground search and a more extensive air search.Now, there was very little she could do, except hope that the scans would turn up something.Hawk sat next to her on one side and Dr. Goodfellow on the other.While no official declaration had been given, there was always hope, always the chance that something would show up to give credence to their faith.But now, even though her heart yammered for something to pin her hopes on, there was nothing.**

**  
**

**“Wilma,” Hawk began.**

**  
**

**Again, she brushed off his overtures of consolation.“Not now, Hawk.I’m sorry.I can’t talk now.”Getting up quickly, before she began to cry, Wilma left the room and headed for her own apartment.There she looked at the photograph of her and Buck.It was taken on Mrinilian, when they had gone to represent the Earth Directorate at the coronation of the planetary ruler.That had been such an enjoyable occasion.Nothing had happened except a good time.That was when she had wondered the most about their relationship.It had occurred right after that affair with Jennifer/Leila, and Wilma had entertained hopes that she and Buck might be able to develop a romantic relationship.But at the time, Wilma had realized that despite what he had said about the past, Buck was still too closely tied to those he had left behind.**

**  
**

**Wilma also realized that she wasn’t that easy to get close to, either.With a sigh, she thought about their time together.Buck had become more like a brother, she supposed.A brother that she had never had, being an only child.But now that Buck was gone, she saw a great dissatisfaction in that relationship, frustrated that she didn’t make a greater effort to get closer to him.**

**  
**

**Pausing, Wilma looked into her mirror.Sad eyes gazed back at her.How could someone affect her so much?Especially after a whole life of trying to be strong and tough._What did you have, Buck Rogers, that you could so easily find residence in my heart and tear it apart so horribly when you left?_But he wasn’t gone.His easy going nature, his smile, his single-minded devotion to doing the right thing, whether that coincided with what was considered right in this century or not, his almost childlike curiosity and sense of wonder that melded so adroitly with his compassion and sense of honor, those things were still there deep in her soul._Oh, Buck, why did you have to leave?Why now, why like this?_She almost wanted to say, why did you come into my life if this was how it was going to feel when you left, but she couldn’t.She wouldn’t want to be devoid of that experience of meeting and knowing Buck Rogers.At times, Buck had been so very exasperating, but he had also made her feel so alive, made everything seem so fresh and wonderful.He had shown her that life was more than devotion to duty.**

**  
**

**She didn’t think she could go back to the _Searcher_.On the other hand, she didn’t relish staying in New Chicago either.Sighing, Wilma lay down on her bed.The past three days had been physically exhausting, but sleep just didn’t come.Thoughts of the past almost two years kept coming to her mind.Realizing that she had to have some rest, Wilma broke down and ordered something to help her sleep.It still took an hour of tossing and turning, but sleep finally came.**

**  
**

**========================**

**  
**

**Hawk spent part of the next day with Wilma and Dr. Huer going over the details of the upcoming memorial service.He found himself feeling caged, stifled in the somberness of the event, but as someone who had been close to Buck, he was obligated to take part in the planning.The two humans wanted him to participate in the actual ceremony but in that Hawk drew the line.He was no speaker and his feelings were something private and not subject to public display.In the end, he agreed to stand with Wilma and Dr. Huer at the memorial, but that was the extent of it.His own eulogy to his friend would be in the memories and feelings that resided in his heart.**

**  
**

**In the evening he began looking over the records, first the communications/tracking records and then the surveys of the crash site.Hawk was chilled at the cold biological readings that seemed to pinpoint Buck’s demise.The starfighter had been his friend’s crematorium.He looked for any evidence of Twiki and Dr. Theopolis, but as expected, there was nothing.And there had been so much shredded and melted metal and plastic that nothing could be determined from those remains.**

**  
**

**The surveys picked up nothing in a ten-mile radius that would indicate the two quads.However, he did see several times when biological entities showed up on the readings.About sixty percent were definitely small enough to be forest animals.Several seemed to denote creatures residing high in the trees, which would eliminate a six-foot plus human.Hawk laughed softly to himself, Buck was athletic, but he couldn’t picture his friend climbing trees in a rain forest.Most of the later third-day biological readings seemed random, which along with the size factor, fit the conclusion that all were animals, but there were a few that seemed to follow a slight pattern, all occurring in the same geographical area.Hawk frowned.Most of these entities would be about the size of children.Studying further, he became even surer that their movements followed a pattern, one that precluded that of animals simply looking for a meal; they seemed to indicate a human presence.It didn’t make sense.Hawk had been told that there were no human populations in that part of Africa.He looked over the data again, but could come to no other conclusion.**

**  
**

**The next morning he called on Dr. Huer.“I am wondering if the information about this equatorial African forest is correct.The information that says that there are no people living there,” Hawk said.**

**  
**

**“As far as I know, it is,” Huer answered.He looked into Hawk’s eyes.He wondered what the birdman had on his mind.“Why?”** ****

**  
**

**“I am looking at the survey data of the search and rescue and I am seeing patterns that would indicate more than just animal presence.”He saw Huer’s dubious look and added,“I am aware of how this kind of data works, that is how some of my people’s enemies were able to find the hidden caves.”**

**  
**

**Huer sighed and rubbed his eyes.“It seems strange that the demise of one individual out of the thousands residing here would create such turmoil and sorrow.”He sighed again.“I am interested in what you have, but I cannot talk until after the memorial this morning.Could you stop by then?”He sounded genuinely intrigued.** ****

**  
**

**Hawk nodded.“Yes, Dr. Huer.I definitely want to go over this with you.You are certainly more familiar with Earth history and geography than I am.”** ****

**  
**

**At the memorial service, the two men flanked Wilma, who seemed to have totally regained her composure and appeared self-assured and poised.She spoke briefly as did Dr. Huer and Captain Asimov.She and Dr. Huer unveiled a plaque in Buck’s honor.Hawk felt it was a fitting memorial for his friend, but he still felt no closure.** ****

**  
**


	14. Mechanizations

**Foreenizor watched the two women standing before him.Their eyes were sad, their finger movements echoing their sadness.They were too soft, he could not include them in the plans. He would only use their expertise, giving them another reason for his request.Perhaps it was better this way.He could see that they had developed an affinity with the dead human.**

**  
**

**“How quickly can you alter the woodland/meadow floratat to match what Captain Rogers had specified?” he asked.**

**  
**

**Mreesa looked puzzled but with only a moment’s pause said, “We can synthe-change the grass covering and use holo-imaging for the trees and plants.Probably two days.”** ****

**  
**

**“Use holo’s for all of it and do it in a day,” he said.They are having a memorial service for Captain Rogers in a matter of hours and it would be most appropriate if we had some fitting tribute to show the Earth people afterward.”Foreenizor paused for dramatic effect, waving his fingers in a gesture of sadness.“I would like to invite his partner to see what we would like to do on Earth as a tribute to Captain Rogers.”** ****

**  
**

**Breeshnar and Mreesa looked at each other and then turned back to their leader.“That is a wonderful idea, Doctor.We will get started right away and hopefully get it ready in a day and a half by Earth time.We can do no better than that.I am sure Wilma will understand.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, I’m sure she will, too,” Foreezinor said with a slight smile.“Go ahead and get started, and I will contact Col. Deering.”** ****

**  
**

**=========================** ****

**  
**

**“Thee-o, I did not hear the sky sleds at all today.I think your people have given up looking for you,” Njobo said.**

**  
**

**“Yes, I would imagine that after three days with no evidence that we are alive, the Directorate would most likely declare us dead,” Theo said.**

**“Why don’t you want your people to find you?”Njobo finally asked the question that had bothered him since he had first encountered Buck and his companions.He wondered if it had something to do with the sickness, a sickness that had not yet affected him.** ****

**  
**

**“Buck was given this sickness so that he would give it to his fellow humans,” Theo began, but paused when he saw Njobo’s puzzled look.** ****

**  
**

**“I do not think I totally understand.Why would someone deliberately give a sickness like this to another person?Someone wanted your people to die?”**

**  
**

**“Someone wanted everyone on Earth to die.And I have not figured out just what these people from another world want here so badly that they would destroy everyone on Earth to get it,” Theo said.**

**  
**

**Njobo gasped in horror.He had never heard of such a thing.That would be like the leopard trying to kill all of the _BaMbuti_ simply because they occasionally took a pelt from one of the jungle cats.All of his people dead?He shook his head, imaging the same thing with all of Buck’s people.It was incomprehensible to even begin to imagine.“Those people have the madness to conceive of such a thing.That is the only explanation,” Njobo finally said.**

**  
**

**“That is probably the best explanation,” Theo answered, at the same time activating Twiki.**

**  
**

**“How’s Buck?” the drone asked immediately.** ****

**  
**

**“Buck seems to be better.He has slept most of the day and his fever has lowered by two degrees,” Theo answered.**

**  
**

**“Great!” Twiki cried as Theo translated for Njobo.** ****

**  
**

**“He is in need of nourishment soon.He is very weak and needs meat to build his strength,” Njobo interjected.“My son delivered the haunch of a _sondu_.The juices will make a good stew that Buck can drink.”Here Njobo paused again.“I have not seen either of you eat.What do you take in for nourishment?” he asked.**

**  
**

**“I agree, Njobo.Buck has been too long without anything of real substance.”Theo pondered a moment to figure out how to best describe the self-contained internal energy system that almost never had to be replaced.“We have special things inside our bodies that keep us alive.We have no need for any nourishment such as you and Buck need,” Theo explained.** ****

**  
**

**Shaking his head, Njobo said, “Ah, more of the _dawa_ magic.”He gathered wood and Twiki started another fire in growing darkness.The _BaMbuti_ gathered the clay pot and the meat that his son had left on a limb above them and began to cut the meat to make a savory stew.Sitting the pot at the edge of the fire, he let it warm while waiting for coals to form.He cut up a variety of roots, leaves and other things that had been gathered during the day and added them to the meat.The juice of several fruits provided the liquid.As the stew warmed and then simmered, Njobo pounded more of the medicine that had provided Buck with some relief from his fever.** ****

**  
**

**As the night deepened, Buck finally stirred and awoke, moaning softly at the pain that seemed to be residing in his joints.He blinked groggily at the fire and then at Theo, whose lights were winking in the dark.**

**  
**

**“How are you feeling, Buck?” Theo asked.**

**  
**

**“Don’t ask,” he said, groaning with the effort to move.Every muscle, each joint seemed to have turned into boards.Njobo, seeing his difficulty, gathered sticks and vegetation and built a mound for Buck to recline against.He and Twiki helped Buck sit up and get comfortable.“Thanks,” the spaceman panted, incredulous at how tired he felt just from that tiny bit of effort.Sitting up made him feel somewhat dizzy, too, but he didn’t want to lie down again.He felt as though he had been doing that his whole life.Nevertheless, he closed his eyes, tired and ready to sleep again.“How long has it been?” he murmured.He mentally cursed the Lagrithians again. This sickness seemed eternal.**

**  
**

**“Since you have been sick?” Theo asked.** ****

**  
**

**“Yeah.”** ****

**  
**

**“Approximately two and a half days,” Theo answered.“I am happy to say that your temperature is down, only a hundred and two now.”** ****

**  
**

**“Great,” Buck said acerbically and he began to doze off.Then his eyes popped open and he gazed at Njobo who was mixing something in a small wooden bowl.“Theo, did you say two and a half days?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, Buck.”** ****

**  
**

**“Njobo?” he asked the _BaMbuti_, who turned to look at him.“How do you feel?”** ****

**  
**

**“I feel happy,” he said after Theo had translated.Then he understood what Buck meant.“I do not feel sick.”** ****

**  
**

**“Buck, didn’t you say the Lagrithian virus incubated in its victim for about a half day and then the onset of the illness was anywhere up to a day later?” Theo asked.** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, if I heard them right.And I went about a half a day later than their predictions,” Buck answered, his face flushed from more than fever, he was feeling hope.**

**  
**

**Njobo approached with his medicine.“You are better, but you still need this.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck grimaced, but he drank what Njobo offered.It was getting harder and harder to keep it down.While he was concentrating on taming his protesting stomach, Njobo offered him another cup.Carefully curling his stiff fingers around the little cup, Buck concentrated on not dropping it. “What’s in this?” he asked, able to tell by the aroma that it was something different.** ****

**  
**

**“It is the broth from a stew that I made.It will give you strength,” the _BaMbuti_ explained.**

**  
**

**Buck tried a sip and found it to be delicious.“This is good, Njobo.”Buck drank the small cup dry and then leaned back against the makeshift chair with a sigh.Now he really was feeling sleepy again.Another thought occurred to him as he began to drift off.He gazed sleepily at Theo.“You started working on a communicator yet?”** ****

**  
**

**“No, Buck, we have been very busy trying to keep you alive and escaping detection,” Theo answered.**

**  
**

**“Well, if I can survive Njobo’s medicine, then I can live through anything,” Buck commented and then yawned.“You two need to get busy on a communicator.You have to warn New Chicago, Theo.”He closed his eyes, unable to stay awake any longer.“Lagrithians will try….”He fell asleep before he could even finish his sentence.** ****

**  
**

**“Twiki, Buck is right, we have to begin working on some kind of communicator,” Theo said.“Let’s see what you brought with you.”**

**  
**

**===========================** ****

**  
**

**In Dr. Huer’s office, Hawk pointed out what he had seen the night before.**

**  
**

**The doctor rubbed his chin thoughtfully.“I see what you are saying.Let me pull up the records from the archives on my personal computer." He looked and studied for several minutes.**

**  
**

**Hawk waited impatiently.**

**  
**

**“It says that there were several tribes of African people in that area of forest, which, by the way, seems to have increased in size.”He pondered the data he had brought up.“This is most interesting,” he murmured.** ****

**  
**

**“What, Doctor?” Hawk asked.** ****

**  
**

**“The fact that this forest seems to be reversing a trend that was common even before the great holocaust.”** ****

**  
**

**“You mean the increase in the size of the forest?”** ****

**  
**

**Huer rubbed his chin again.“Yes, back in the twentieth century, deforestation was commonplace.Usually it was the encroachment of men, but climactic changes were also a factor.I believe this will be of interest to our scientists.”** ****

**  
**

**“But what about the people of the area.You were looking that up,” Hawk reminded the older man.**

**  
**

**“Yes, I was.According to this, the group that seems to have been there the longest is the _BaMbuti_, a race also called pygmies.Most of them were no larger than four feet tall.”**

**  
**

**“That would correlate with some of the things I noticed when I was studying the survey data.”** ****

**  
**

**Huer studied Hawk’s face.“What are your thoughts, Hawk?” he asked.** ****

**  
**

**“I don’t know yet, Dr. Huer.But I think there is more to this than a simple crash landing.Just call it intuition.Simple intuition.But the more I study the data, the more questions I have.I am hoping that soon I will have the answers to those questions.”** ****

**  
**

**“Hawk, I think you know that I still have hope in my heart that Buck is out there alive,” Huer replied.“Despite everything, I hope.Regardless of what the council concluded, you have my leave to do whatever you feel necessary to determine for a surety whether Buck is alive or dead.Please let me know what you come up with.”**

**“I will, Doctor,” Hawk answered.**

**  
**

**The next day, Hawk was still studying, still pondering and still questioning the decision of the computer council.In the meantime, Wilma had thrown herself into her duties, drilling new recruits in the starfighter maneuvers that her predecessors had developed along with those that Buck had introduced.Hawk only saw her in passing.**

**  
**

**Hawk continued to study the data that detailed Buck’s flight.The ship showed no signs of having problems, other than the communications system, until the approach to New Chicago.Buck had come through the defensive shield without mishap.Then there was the direct flight to where he had been camping, with the accompanying maneuvers.Then another slight flight change, followed by the nearly arrow straight route to the rain forest.If the actual crash was eliminated from the equation, the flight seemed totally deliberate.**

**  
**

**Hawk leaned back in the chair and pondered.The more he thought about it, the less he thought that this was a ship in trouble, especially considering the pilot.If this had been a green recruit starfighter pilot, Hawk might have understood the conclusion, but Buck?His friend had to be signaling him over the canyon, trying to tell him something.But what?There was something wrong, that was a surety, Hawk decided.Otherwise, Buck would have landed either in New Chicago or in the canyon where he was staying.**

**  
**

**So for some reason, Buck went to the rain forest where he crashed.But what about Buck himself?Where was he?Could he have died in the crash?There was a slight difference in time between the crash and the explosion of the ship.Was that enough time for Buck to get away?**

**  
**

**“Ai, Buck, you have always been a most puzzling and yet, intriguing human,” Hawk murmured as he continued to gaze at the computer screen.Perhaps if he fed the information into that insufferable robot, Crichton, Dr. Goodfellow’s creation might be able to make sense of all of the information.** ****

**  
**

**Putting all of the information onto a storage disk, Hawk took a monorail to Dr. Goodfellow’s apartment/laboratory, where he found the old man tinkering on yet another creation.**

**“Ah, Hawk, good to see you.Good to see you,” the scientist said, a great smile creasing his face.**

**  
**

**Hawk just nodded.“I need your robot to analyze some data I have gathered.”He handed the small disk to Goodfellow and continued.“There are some things about Buck’s crash that don’t seem to make sense.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, Buck.That is very sad.He was such a fine young man.Such a loss,” Dr. Goodfellow murmured.**

**  
**

**“Do you think Crichton could look this information over?” Hawk asked, bringing the old man back to the matter at hand.** ****

**  
**

**“Oh, yes, yes,” he said, turning to the tall, spindly robot.Activating him, Dr. Goodfellow fed the data in and then waited.Turning back to Hawk, he said, “You do realize, Hawk my friend, that there may not be enough data for Crichton to come to a conclusion.”** ****

**  
**

**Crichton whirred and then huffed.“I can always come to a conclusion, Dr. Goodfellow.It just may not be the conclusion you would want.”** ****

**  
**

**“Quite right, quite right,” the stooped old scientist said in his good-natured way.**

**  
**

**Hawk sighed and paced the room, knowing better than to argue with the irascible robot.**

**  
**

**A few minutes later, Crichton announced, “My conclusion is that while there is much evidence to support Captain Rogers’ death, there is nothing that conclusively proves it.So I cannot give you a definitive location for his body, or if he is alive, for his location.”Crichton whirred again.“And the data seems to support your claim that there are indigenous people in that forest.”**

**  
**

**“Really? That is interesting, indeed,” Dr. Goodfellow said, almost echoing Dr. Huer’s comments the previous day.**

**  
**

**“Thank you, Crichton, Dr. Goodfellow,” Hawk said, gathering his data storage disk.He left the apartment with the same questions still whirling around in his mind.And they were still running through his mind when he arrived at his and Buck’s apartment.That something had gone terribly wrong with Buck’s flight was a given, but now Hawk wondered if it was the ship, or if there was something else.Was Buck really trying to signal him?Most importantly, was he still alive?If so, and Hawk was beginning to believe that was the case, the only conclusion that he could make was that Twiki and Dr. Theopolis had to have perished in the crash.The other conclusion was that Buck was most likely hurt.But after all this time, four almost five days, would he still be alive?There were many creatures in a forest like that, undoubtedly large predators as well.But there were people living there as well.Would they help his friend?**

**  
**

**Hawk knew one thing.If there was the slightest chance that Buck was still alive, he had to fly to the forest and attempt to find him.Quickly he grabbed a snack out of the refrigerator and poured himself a cup of coffee from Buck’s custom-built expresso machine.It wasn’t the most nutritious meal he could have eaten, or the tastiest, but it was the fastest.Buck had passed along a couple of very bad habits to him, Hawk thought sardonically.Like coffee.As he finished he heard the computer beep, a signal that one of his queries for more information had borne fruit.Hawk brought up the screen and gaped in astonishment.Someone else had crash-landed in the same forest.**


	15. The Brigadeer

**  
**

**Hawk read the information on the screen in front of him.Almost thirty years ago, a then Lieutenant Gordon, had crashed his ship in the forest while on a survey mission.The pilot had been rescued a few days later.What pleased the birdman was that Brigadier Gordon was still alive and residing in New Chicago.Hawk noticed another message, one that astonished him even more.It was from the very man he was just reading about, the man who had crashed in the rain forest so long ago.**

**  
**

**===============================**

**The older man watched the information channel with interest.He usually didn’t have his vid link on, preferring to play cribbage or chess with his wife or with his friends at the recreation center.Lately, he had been taking time to exercise more.The mission he had been called out on, the one where he and his companions had been instrumental in averting an invasion, had invigorated him, and made him feel younger than his seventy-four years.After that mission, although he had not admitted it to anyone, he had been painfully aware of how out of shape he had been.Now a year later, the old man felt even younger than he had when he and Buck Rogers, the young man from the past, and Colonel Deering and the others had wiped out the invaders.** ****

**  
**

**Now he was watching the memorial service for Captain William ‘Buck’ Rogers.It saddened him.He had liked the young man.In fact he was grateful to him.It had been the captain who had been instrumental in their temporary call up as well as their reserve status now.**

**  
**

**It was a short memorial for the young pilot, as it should be, and also included brief tributes for the captain’s companions, a drone and one of the computer councilmen, Dr. Theopolis.After the memorial, he continued watching, as they were giving details on what had happened to young Rogers.**

**  
**

**Suddenly his eyes opened wide in surprise.“He crashed where?” he asked to no one in particular.** ****

**  
**

**“Somewhere in Africa,” his companion, Major Trent said.“Say, isn’t that where you crashed way back when?”** ****

**  
**

**Brigadier Gordon gazed at the map that was being shown on the screen, his blue eyes totally attentive to what was being said.** ****

**  
**

**“Yes,” he said absently.** ****

**  
**

**“They found you.Wonder why they couldn’t find Buck?” Trent asked, familiar with the incident in question.** ****

**  
**

**“Appears his starfighter’s engine core blew up,” Gordon said.** ****

**  
**

**“Talk about a fluke.That sure doesn’t happen often.”** ****

**  
**

**“I know,” Gordon said.“Usually only happens when the failsafe is activated.And that usually only happens in enemy territory.The forest is pretty much just off limits, not considered hostile.”He pondered.“Unless Buck saw a threat.”** ****

**  
**

**“Of course it could have happened in a crash that severe, too,” Trent said.**

**  
**

**Gordon thought of the secret he carried, the information he had told no one, not even his wife and children. And he thought of the promise he had made.It was a promise that he had kept for thirty years and he could not break it.Then he considered the fact that Buck Rogers had somehow crash-landed in the same vicinity that he had.Could Buck have been given the same help he had been given when he had crashed in what had once been known as the Ituri forest?If so, someone needed to know.Promises or no promises.** ****

**  
**

**He walked over to the communication line and connected with the Directorate headquarters, leaving a message for Col. Deering and Dr. Huer.He immediately received a communication saying that Col. Deering was not taking private calls at present and another one that told him that Dr. Huer would get back to him as soon as possible.Gordon frowned.There was no telling just how long it would be before the Directorate leader got back to him.Gordon decided to head home to await a response.Angelin would be wondering where he was after all this time anyway.**

**  
**

**The next day, still not having received anything from Dr. Huer, Gordon considered his options.He wondered about the other man at the memorial, the birdman.From the broadcast, he had learned that the alien had worked very closely with Buck during his time on the exploration mission of the _Searcher_.Perhaps a message to him would help.What was the name they had given?Hawk.That was it.Gordon found a recent listing and sent the same message to Buck’s friend.Perhaps he could relay it to Dr. Huer faster than the communiqué would be answered.** ****

**  
**

**===============================**

**  
**

**As Hawk traveled the monorail to Brigadier Gordon’s residence, he tried to remember Buck’s description of the man.He had been a squadron leader, and later the head of the defense forces.He was still very capable, even though retired.And he had helped save Earth when a great deal of the food supply had been poisoned, debilitating most of Earth’s defenders.**

**  
**

**He was let into the Brigadier’s apartment by an older woman, presumably his life mate, and shown into a room with a large window overlooking the inner city.The lowering sun shone brightly, giving everything a golden hue.**

**  
**

**The Brigadier stood up to greet him, shaking his hand.“I am glad you got my message.And I thank you for getting back to me so promptly.”Hawk studied the man in front of him.The Brigadier was only an inch shorter than himself.His silvery gray hair hinted of sun bright lightness in his younger days, his intensely blue eyes still young.He appeared very fit and agile, most equal to the task of flying a starfighter.** ****

**  
**

**“I have been studying all of the data pertaining to Buck’s crash and had barely received information about your crash some years ago when I saw your message,” Hawk said.** ****

**  
**

**The Brigadier studied the man before him, whose hooded eyes and sharp features denoted the demeanor of a hunter.Even more than Colonel Deering right now, this one might take his information and be able to use it.**

**  
**

**“The report was very limited, only saying you had crashed, suffered some injuries and had been rescued,” Hawk said bluntly.** ****

**  
**

**“Please sit down, Hawk,” Gordon said, pointing to a chair.“Do you have an honorific?”** ****

**  
**

**“No, I am just Hawk.”The birdman sat and faced Gordon, continuing to study him just as the human had measured him.“But I assume that there is more to it that what the report said.”Hawk noted that Gordon’s life mate had left the room, pushing the button to close the door behind her.** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, but I had made a promise not to say more about it.”** ****

**  
**

**“To whom?” Hawk asked.“To the inhabitants of the forest?The _BaMbuti_?”** ****

**  
**

**The Brigadier gaped in astonishment. “How did you find out about that?”** ****

**  
**

**“I said I had been studying this incident.I have seen more survey data than I care to admit to.And even though I was not authorized to do so, I also flew above that forest.”** ****

**  
**

**“Why such an acute interest?If you have been digging into this, you have surely seen everything that brought the computer council to its conclusion,” Gordon said, intrigued by this alien’s intensity.**

**  
**

**“Partly it is intuitive.I did not feel closure in this.The evidence is very much overwhelming, but I know Buck Rogers well and this data is not enough to satisfy me.”He paused and took a deep breath.“And as I have dug into this, I have become even less satisfied.I am not stifled by the Earth Directorate proclamations.”**

**  
**

**“You are going to the forest to search?” Gordon asked.**

**  
**

**“Yes, as soon as I am finished here.”Hawk pulled out a map of the forest area.“Dr. Huer told me this was part of an area called the Ituri Forest.Buck crashed here,” Hawk began, pointing.**

**  
**

**“As far as I can remember, that is not very far from where I crashed.”Gordon looked up from the map.“And yes, I was helped by the _BaMbuti_, the pygmy people.”**

**  
**

**“The readings I looked over indicated individuals the size of children, but when Dr. Huer told me who was indigenous to the area, I realized that it was the native peoples that I was seeing on the survey.”**

**“How could you tell that from a survey data sheet?” Gordon asked, impressed.**

**  
**

**The door opened and Gordon’s life mate entered with two cups of what Hawk presumed to be tea.“Thank you,” he said to her as she set them down and turned to leave.** ****

**  
**

**“You are welcome.”She smiled and the door slid closed behind her.**

**“Brigadier, I belong to a hunted race.I am the only one left.I found survey records like these which had helped my enemies, some of your fellow Earth people, find and destroy my people.From this experience, I know what to look for.”** ****

**  
**

**Gordon said nothing for a moment.He found it incredulous that anyone whose family and friends had been hunted and killed by their enemies would be sitting and talking with a member of the enemy race.Finally he said, “If it was my race that has destroyed yours, why are you here?Why are you helping?”**

**“It is simple—Buck Rogers,” Hawk said, flashing an uncharacteristic smile.“It is a rather long story and when I am back, with Buck, I will tell you the details.For now, let me say that I owe my existence to Buck.”** ****

**  
**

**“And you believe he is alive?”** ****

**  
**

**“Again, intuition.Yes, I do, Brigadier.And I believe you do, too.”Hawk gazed at the human, his dark eyes penetrating and unsettling.** ****

**  
**

**Gordon nodded.“If he has had the help of the _BaMbuti_ as I did, I think he conceivably could be.They are one with their environment, totally a part of their forest world.”Gordon sat quietly for a moment, remembering.The old fashioned clock standing on a shelf near the window ticked the minutes while both men pondered.“I had injuries and was bleeding, a sure signal to any predators.Despite their fear of a stranger such as I, several of the _BaMbuti_ helped me.When the search and rescue finally got to me, I had convinced my forest friends to hide.The policy then was to assimilate any people found living in isolated groups.He paused.“Well, perhaps assimilate is too strong, but they would have been studied, offered the best of Directorate technology and wisdom.”** ****

**  
**

**“And you felt they didn’t need or want it,” Hawk said simply.** ****

**  
**

**“No, they were, and I suppose, still are, a simple people so in tune with their land that they seemed to me to be one with it.”** ****

**  
**

**Hawk nodded and turned to his map.“I perfectly understand, Brigadier.”**

**  
**

**“Perhaps the Directorate is wiser and more mature in its policies now, but who knows?”** ****

**  
**

**Again, Hawk nodded and pointed to a place on the map. “I found a pattern here and here; the movement of several individuals in this same geographical area and in the same direction.I also saw something that could have been a larger person in the same area, but it was difficult to tell.Cloud cover, the foliage made it virtually impossible to be sure.”**

**“Buck and several _BaMbuti_ I would guess,” the Brigadier concurred.**

**  
**

**Hawk left the map and stood up.“May I ask a favor of you?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, of course.”** ****

**  
**

**“If you hear nothing from me in several days, would you take this and what I have told you to Dr. Huer?” Hawk asked.**

**“Yes, I will, Hawk.”**

**  
**

**“I am going to try and contact both Dr. Huer and Col. Deering when I leave here, but they have been rather busy or distracted recently, and I am not going to wait,” Hawk said. **

**  
**

**Gordon knew that coming from someone else, the statement would have been slightly sarcastic, but the brigadier realized that from this birdman it was a simple statement, blunt and without judgment.“I sensed, having known Col. Deering for some time, that she had taken Capt. Rogers’ crash hard,” the brigadier said.**

**“Yes.”** ****

**  
**

**“Use my communicator, Hawk.It will save you some time.”** ****

**  
**

**“Thank you, Brigadier.”Hawk followed the older man to another room.**

**  
**

**When the birdman contacted Dr. Huer’s office, the Directorate leader greeted him personally.“Ah, Hawk.I am sorry I haven’t been more available.I finally read my messages and was trying to get a hold of you.What do you need?”** ****

**  
**

**“I understand, Dr. Huer.I have enough information that I feel it necessary to fly out to this forest myself.”**

**“You believe that Buck might be….?”**

**  
**

**“Yes, Doctor and as I am not hampered by edicts of your council, I am flying out as soon as I finish speaking with you.I tried to contact Wilma but she was unavailable.” **

**  
**

**“Yes, she was invited to the Lagrithian ship.They wanted her to see and approve a floratat they had created, one that would be a permanent memorial to Buck,” Huer explained.** ****

**  
**

**That puzzled Hawk a little, but he didn’t let it show on his face.He felt he needed to leave soon and didn’t want to ponder on anything that would take his mind from the task at hand.Too much time had already passed.Hawk simply nodded.“When she returns let her know what I am doing.” **

**  
**

**“I will, and Hawk,” Huer paused as though not sure what to say next.“Good luck.I hope you are right and you find him.If you find . . . anything . . . and you need help, do not hesitate to contact me.”** ****

**  
**

**“I will do that, Dr. Huer.”Hawk turned off the communicator.**

**“Nice people, those Lagrithians,” Gordon said behind him. **

**  
**

**“Yes,” Hawk replied, thinking the same thing.He left the brigadier’s home and quickly went to the flight bay where his ship sat waiting.Soon he was speeding east and into the dark night. **

**  
**


	16. Good News, Bad News

**  
**

**Buck woke up from a dream, nightmare, he thought, of being run through a gauntlet, beaten with sticks and clubs.He reached up to wipe the sweat from his face and found that part of his dream was true.His joints protested any movement and his muscles ached abominably.Slowly he sat up, groaning at the effort.He saw Njobo by the fire pit, asleep, and Twiki and Theo at the edge of the little clearing, working.At his movement, the drone turned to him, beeping happily.**

**  
**

**Again Buck guessed what Twiki was saying.“Headache’s gone, not dizzy, not cold but I feel like I went nine rounds with Tigerman.”He finally managed to sit up and lean against the backrest that he vaguely remembered Njobo making for him.Even that little effort tired him out and he leaned back to rest.**

**  
**

**“Buck, Njobo left water for you nearby,” Theo told him.** ****

**  
**

**Feeling the tendrils of alarm, Buck asked, “Njobo?”** ****

**  
**

**“He said he was tired, Buck.”** ****

**  
**

**“Only tired?Not sick?” Buck asked.** ****

**  
**

**“Only tired.As far as I know, Njobo has not slept since he began taking care of you,” Theo explained.**

**  
**

**“Thank God,” Buck breathed fervently.**

**  
**

**“And I am happy to say that your fever has finally broken, Buck,” Theo added.**

**  
**

**Buck said nothing, concentrating instead on getting his fingers around the bamboo cup at his side.He was dismayed at how weak and stiff his hand was._This is nuts_! he thought as he finally got his fingers to cooperate.**

**  
**

**“It would seem that this virus manifests itself with more than just a fever.I had noticed before that you were in pain, but was more concerned about the high fever than about anything else,” Theo continued.** ****

**  
**

**“Yeah, it would seem,” Buck said sardonically, finishing what was in the cup.He laid it down and flexed his fingers.“This is just something else I’m going to take up with the Lagrithians when I get back,” he growled.** ****

**  
**

**Twiki beeped.**

**  
**

**“Keep trying to increase the power, Twiki,” Theo encouraged.**

**  
**

**Twiki beeped indignantly.“I’m doing the best I can!”** ****

**  
**

**“I know you are, Twiki.And you have done a very fine job with the materials at hand,” Theo said soothingly.**

**  
**

**“Communicator problems?” Buck asked.** ****

**  
**

**“We can only make a communication device that will signal a nearby starfighter, Buck,” Theo explained.“We cannot make anything that will receive signals and we don’t have vocal capabilities.”**

**  
**

**Buck sighed.“Just do the best you can.”** ****

**  
**

**“Of course, Buck.I cannot doubt that eventually a survey craft will come this way.Probably New Chicago will send out a recovery team to gather all they can of your starfighter.”** ****

**  
**

**“I know I should have dropped you two off in Australia,” he murmured, laying his head back and closing his eyes.** ****

**  
**

**“No, Buck.Twiki and I could never abandon you.”**

**  
**

**“Thanks, guys,” Buck mumbled.He dozed off, waking up several hours later to see Njobo squatting by his side, a cup of stew in his hands.**

**  
**

**Flexing his fingers, Buck took the small cup and drank the savory broth, realizing for the first time in days, just how hungry he was.“That’s good, Njobo,” he said appreciatively.** ****

**  
**

**“You have pain, Buck?” Njobo asked.**

**  
**

**“Some, but not as much as I did before.I’m mostly stiff,” he answered with a yawn.“And I’m tired all the time.All I want to do is sleep.”** ****

**  
**

**Njobo handed him another cup of stew, this time it contained small chunks of meat.“You need to eat more stew.The meat is from the _sondu_.It will give you strength.”**

**Buck drank the broth and pulled out the chunks of meat with his fingers, chewing each piece slowly to savor the succulent taste.“What’s a _sondu_?” he asked when he had finished.Buck didn’t think he had eaten anything so delicious in his life.**

**  
**

**“It is a large antelope.I will roast a piece over the fire for you for the next meal.It, too, will give you strength."** ****

**  
**

**“Hmm, can you make that a Porterhouse steak?” Buck joked.He handed the cup back and stifled yet another yawn.** ****

**  
**

**Njobo looked puzzled even after Theo’s translation.“Never mind, Njobo.I made a joke,” Buck said.** ****

**  
**

**“Ah,” Njobo replied, nodding. “Jokes are good.It means you are getting better.”** ****

**  
**

**Except for translating, Theo had kept quiet during the exchange.Twiki was in the forest gathering wood for the night’s fire.**

**  
**

**Njobo left the hut and worked by the fire pit.Buck couldn’t see what the _BaMbuti _was doing, but he had no doubt that he was mixing some other concoction to help make him well.He remembered that in his day, many of the world’s ecologists had talked about the amount of medicines that had come from the rainforest plants.Now he knew what they were talking about.He wondered if they could be synthesized if the Lagrithians still managed to introduce this damnable virus to Earth.** ****

**  
**

**“Buck,” Theo began.** ****

**  
**

**“Yeah?”** ****

**  
**

**“Show me your hands.”** ****

**  
**

**Puzzled, Buck did so, palms up.** ****

**  
**

**“No, Buck, the other way.** ****

**  
**

**Buck did as he was told.“What’s on your mind, Theo?”The quad didn’t sound terribly happy.** ****

**  
**

**For several seconds, Theo was quiet, only the blinking lights showing that he was thinking.“Buck, it would seem that the virus works by attacking the victim’s red blood cells.The fever was really symptomatic, the manifestation of your body’s intense fight against the virus.The high fever probably also gave you the pain that you have had, but the weakness and lethargy indicates a low red blood count.”** ****

**  
**

**Sighing, Buck looked at his fingernails and saw what Theo had noticed.“Peachy.So the reason I feel like something the cat beat up and then dragged in is because I’m anemic.”**

**  
**

**Theo had learned to understand his human friend’s sometimes strange sense of humor and antiquated phraseology fairly well.“Yes, Buck.And Njobo has the right idea.You need to eat plenty of the meat he prepares as it is your best source of iron right now.”** ****

**  
**

**“Okay,” Buck said.“I think I can handle that.Always did like a good broiled steak.”**

**Njobo returned and handed him the cup again.“This will help you to regain strength.I am thinking there will be much ahead and we will all need to be strong.”**

**  
**

**Buck paused before he drank what Njobo had given him.He had felt something different about this man even while he was too sick to care about anything, and now he wondered what it was about the _BaMbuti_ that suggested something mysterious and mystical.“Njobo, are you some kind of shaman or something?” he asked.**

**  
**

**Njobo paused after Theo’s translation.“I have been designated the doctor of my clan, mainly because I understand the forest much better than my relatives and my friends.Always it is that way.The one who understands the forest is the healer in our clans.”He gazed at Buck meaningfully.“Before I ever met you and your companions, I felt something different about you.”** ****

**  
**

**“Uh, that’s how I feel about you, too, Njobo.”** ****

**  
**

**“I feel that the Forest wanted us to meet for some reason.I do not know what it is right now, but we will know when the time is right,” Njobo said solemnly.“Now you eat what is in the cup.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck did so, frowning at the slight taste that reminded him of his least favorite food when he was a boy.He finished it and lay back to rest.He was tired, but not ready to sleep.There was something else that he needed to know.“Njobo, are you feeling all right?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, I only had a bit of pain in my head yesterday.It is gone now.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck pondered.“Theo, why didn’t Njobo catch this?”Then a thought came to his mind.“It has to do with genetic make up, doesn’t it?”** ****

**  
**

**Theo blinked for a few seconds, a manifestation of his thought processes.“Yes, Buck, I believe you may be on the right track.They used samples from you and Wilma, mainly Wilma, if what you are saying is correct.Your genetic material and Wilma’s is different from other races of humans, although those differences are slight.I would venture to say that even your microbiological material is slightly different.Maybe that is a tiny factor in your survival.I cannot say for sure in that case.”** ****

**  
**

**“So, in other words, those of different racial backgrounds would be immune to this sickness,” Buck said, his voice animated.** ****

**  
**

**“Maybe not immune, but at least a great deal less susceptible,” Theo replied.** ****

**  
**

**Njobo handed Buck the cup again, this time filled with some kind of juice.Buck looked down at the contents and then back up at his companions.He thought of this latest development as he drank.The more he thought, the funnier the irony seemed to him.Finally, he couldn’t help it; he started laughing.He laughed until tears rolled down his cheeks.**

**  
**

**Njobo looked happy, but at the same time puzzled.Theo blinked and Twiki beeped.“Buck, is something the matter?” Theo asked.“Are you all right?”The quad wondered if Buck’s illness might have caused some mental aberration.**

**  
**

**“Oh, no, Theo,” Buck said, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.“Something is very right for a change.”** ****

**  
**

**Theo said nothing to Buck, but translated the proceedings to Njobo as best he could.**

**  
**

**“Don’t you see, Theo?” Buck began.“Those arrogant jackasses up there are hell bent to destroy the human race, but they made their contagion too specific to accomplish their goal.”** ****

**  
**

**“It is a good joke, Buck,” Njobo added, “Against your enemies.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck sobered.“We still have to warn Dr. Huer, though, or the Lagrithians will succeed in destroying a good portion of Earth’s people.And I don’t doubt that they will try again.”**

**“Tonight, Buck, we will try to boost the power of the communication device,” Theo assured his friend.**

**  
**

**“Thanks, guys.”Buck flexed his fingers and made a fist.It was a bit easier than it had been earlier.“And I will begin to exercise a bit and loosen these board-stiff muscles.”**

**  
**

**“Do not overdo it, Buck,” Theo said.**

**  
**

**Buck sighed and listened to the pattering of rain on the leaf roof of his hut, a hut he was sincerely getting tired of.“Theo, if we do get back to New Chicago, what are the odds of me still being contagious?Back when I was a kid, if you had some kind of disease, say chicken pox, you were usually immune to it after the first exposure.”** ****

**  
**

**“I would guess that the same would be true in this case, but we cannot be sure.This is not a natural illness.You would most likely have to be quarantined and tests run, to determine your condition, in so far as the virus is concerned.”** ****

**  
**

**“Fair enough,” Buck murmured, feeling a desperate helpless frustration replace the humor he had previously experienced.He felt sleepy again, and cursed his weakness and the Lagrithians even as he fell asleep.** ****

**=========================** ****

**  
**

**Njobo sat on a limb and watched his brother who sat on the other end.“I thank you, my brother.I could not have saved the sky sled rider without your help.”** ****

**  
**

**“He is still sick, but you are not,” Aberi said.**

**  
**

**“I had only a slight pain in my head.I do not know exactly why, even though Thee-o has tried to explain it to me.I only understood that we are different from Buck.”** ****

**  
**

**“You told me of the madmen.You also told me that Buck thinks the madmen will try to make the people of the whole _Ndura_ sick again.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes,” Njobo said.He sighed.**

**  
**

**“What are your thoughts, brother,” Aberi asked, concerned over all of this that he didn’t understand.** ****

**  
**

**“It was the medicines that helped Buck get better.”**

**  
**

**Aberi shrugged.“Of course.The Forest is kind to its children, even those from far away.”** ****

**  
**

**“In my dreams I see myself going with my new friends and helping them fight these madmen,” Njobo said softly.“I see no other way.”**

**Sucking in his breath, Aberi said, “Brother, _Mangese_, that will be a hard thing.Surely someone who rides in a sled like the one that destroyed part of the forest cannot come from a place that is as comforting and nurturing as our _Ndura_ is.”Mabosu slipped down a vine and sat next to his uncle.His eyes were large and fearful.** ****

**  
**

**“I think this is what is needful and the Forest wants it.When the time comes, I will know for sure.”**

**  
**

**Aberi nodded as Njobo slid down the trunk and walked back to the camp where the sick man and the two strange _dawa_ men resided.** ****

**  
**


	17. Rescue

**  
**

**Wilma followed Breeshnar and Mreesa down a corridor.The two Lagrithians had been overwhelmingly solicitous.It made keeping her own decorum that much harder.The colonel wondered at the aliens’ insistence to make this memorial and decided that Buck had made a very decided impression on them after she had left.Buck had that knack, she thought wryly.But it still seemed rather impulsive.Even though Foreenizor had invited her to stay the night, Wilma already informed the Lagrithian leader that she could only stay long enough to see what they had created.Perhaps it was rude, she thought, but she just couldn’t keep up pretenses among these emotional people longer than that.**

**  
**

**Wilma shook her head. She was too tired to try and figure out the Lagrithian’s motives and she didn’t really want to.All she wanted to do was get this over with and return to New Chicago.**

**  
**

**A door opened in front of them and the three women strode into a room about half the size of the one she and Buck had first experienced, seemingly so long ago.At the entrance way Wilma paused and gasped.Not only was this floratat as close to any of the archival records she had seen, it was beautiful.It was a slightly rolling meadow with a variety of deciduous trees.She recognized a few varieties from New Chicago’s botanical gardens-- willow, maple and hickory.Daffodils grew in small clumps around some of the trees, waving in the breeze.A small pond sat placidly in the center of the floratat, fed by a stream flowing from the distant horizon.There was the twittering of birds and chirping, creaking and croaking noises that Wilma assumed represented other creatures of this area in pre-Holocaust days.A few sounded familiar.** ****

**  
**

**There was a plaque near the pond.She turned and saw that Mreesa and Breearth were gone, leaving her to explore and experience this habitat on her own.Not really wanting to, Wilma, nevertheless, walked over to the plaque.It had Buck’s name, a birth and death date and a space to put an appropriate sentiment below.Five hundred plus years, Wilma thought, lightly touching the numbers.How ironic that someone so full of life would be ‘so old.’**

**  
**

**Tears splashed on the metal plaque and Wilma’s vision dimmed.Suddenly, she felt dizzy and weak and then there was nothing.**

**  
**

**  
**

**When she awoke, Wilma found herself looking into the worried countenance of Breearth.“What . . . what happened?” she asked.Looking around, she saw that she was in something similar to a medical infirmary.**

**  
**

**“You collapsed,” Breearth said.“I am sorry.We did not mean to overwhelm you with our tribute.”** ****

**  
**

**“No, no, it wasn’t that,” she said and then paused.What was it then, she asked herself?Sitting up, she noted a bit of lethargy, but then, she thought, there had been too little sleep, too much work, and way too much stress.“How long have I been out?”** ****

**  
**

**“About ten hours,” Mreesa replied.** ****

**  
**

**“What?”Wilma was shocked.“I was supposed to be back to New Chicago by now.”** ****

**  
**

**“We told Dr. Huer that you were tired and were resting.”** ****

**  
**

**That was true, Wilma thought.Other than feeling a bit groggy, she did feel better.She stood up and stretched.“Well, I should be getting back home.”Pausing, Wilma gazed at the two Lagrithian women standing in front of her.Their faces still mirrored their concern.“Breearth, Mreesa, the floratat is beautiful.It is so fitting a tribute.”** ****

**  
**

**Mreesa smiled.“Thank you, Wilma.We were so worried it had been too much when . . .well….We didn’t want to be too pretentious.We so hope it will please the people of New Chicago.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, I am sure it will,” Wilma assured them both.**

**  
**

**Accompanied by her two Lagrithian friends, Wilma walked to the launch bay.Boarding her craft, she waved and then concentrated on her pre-flight procedures.Soon she was speeding toward New Chicago and within minutes she was home.** ****

**  
**

**Looking at her watch she saw it was almost mid morning.“Willson, set up a roster for drills for the new recruits this afternoon,” she ordered the flight instructor exo.“I’m going to change and have some breakfast and then we can go out on maneuvers.”**

**  
**

**=================================** ****

**  
**

**Hawk found himself frustrated by darkness.In his impatience he had neglected to anticipate that he would easily arrive before the sun came up.Since he was unwilling to attempt a landing in the dense forest at night, he set down to the west of the forest in a clear area that had vegetation, but of a kind that would not be a hazard.Not even bothering to leave his ship, he folded the seat down and tried to sleep.In the manner of his kind, the hunted as well as the hunters, sleep came quickly and without dreams, his body still attuned to what was around him, but his mind at rest.**

**  
**

**The sun awoke him in the morning and Hawk paused only long enough to eat some of the rations he had brought along, refresh himself at a nearby stream and do a preflight check.Soon he was in the air and speeding toward the dense interior of the rainforest.Hawk slowed as he approached the site of Buck’s crash.He saw the path of his friend’s fighter through an opening in the canopy and followed, marveling.This did not appear to be the path of a stricken starfighter, although some might think so.This was a skillful maneuvering of a very skilled pilot, a pilot such as Buck Rogers.As he followed the same flight path his friend had taken, Hawk wondered why Wilma had not realized the same thing he was figuring out now.But he only supposed that the colonel had been too close to the event to clearly see small things such as this.**

**  
**

**Then he remembered the time when he and Buck had descended into a similar forest, Buck with Koori and he in mortal combat.His claws had pierced Buck’s ship, mortally wounding his beloved Koori.He had had to take control and bring both ships in for a controlled crash landing.It had not been a smooth landing.**

**  
**

**Hawk almost struck a tree and he forced himself back to the reality of the present.It was Buck he needed to be worrying about now.He realized that this was where Buck’s craft had begun to break up and make its final and fatal descent.In order to avoid the same fate, Hawk pressed the button that would partially retract the wings of his craft and he slowed almost to a hover so he could manage the narrow spaces between the trees that had not been sheered off by Buck’s ship.**

**  
**

**Then he was in the clearing.Charred wreckage littered the area along with twisted and blackened trees and foliage.Landing, Hawk examined the area, seeing evidence that others had done the same.He found nothing that would enlighten him and Hawk returned to his craft.There he saw the blinking light of a communicator.Trying to pull up a voice link, he found he was unable to do anything but put a locator on it.Hawk was astonished to see that it was in an area approximately thirteen earth miles to the northwest.That would put it in the approximate vicinity that the survey sheets had shown the questionable data._Buck?_Hawk felt a thrill as he powered up his craft and slowly rose above the canopy, turning the beaked bow of his craft in the direction of the signal.**

**  
**

**It remained steady and stationary as he passed overhead.Hawk watched his data screen and was astonished to see signals that would match an ambu-quad and a smaller quad like Dr. Theopolis.Truly excited now, Hawk circled the area, trying to find a spot to land. His search took him in an ever-widening circle until he found a clearing about two miles beyond the signal’s location.The open space was not perfectly flat and his ship listed slightly to one side, but it would stay put until he returned.**

**  
**

**Undogging the hatch, Hawk sniffed and found the humid leaf mold smell not entirely to his liking.It brought back too many memories.In his mind, he again viewed a similar forest, but not nearly so dense, where two men tried desperately to carry his beloved life-mate to medical help, all to no avail.Hawk had thought he was beyond that, beyond the painful remembering, but there it was before him.The sight, the heat, the smell; it all brought back that nightmarish time.Swiping his hand across his eyes, Hawk forced himself to focus on the present, on rescuing his friend.Would he be doing the same thing with Buck that they had tried to do for Koori?“No!” he cried out loud.“No,” he said more softly, calming down.His brother-in-arms would be all right, only needing a ship to be able to leave this place.** ****

**  
**

**Pulling out his hand-held directional finder, Hawk consulted it as he explored the small clearing.He finally found a narrow path going in the same general direction of the signal and followed it, quickly frustrated over his inability to make faster time.Roots and branches seemed to reach out to catch or trip him.Animals squawked and chattered over his head and Hawk recoiled when a large snake slithered out from under the rotted leaves at his feet.His eyes adjusted to the twilight dimness fairly easily, but Hawk was disconcerted when it darkened even more and then began to rain.**

**  
**

**He wondered at Buck’s choice of crash sites as the water sluiced over his head feathers and down the back of his neck**

**  
**

**=============================**

**  
**

**“Head’s up, Buck!We’ve got company!” Twiki cried out.** ****

**  
**

**Buck jerked his head up and tried to see through the canopy.As soon as it had become light enough and he had enjoyed another one of Njobo’s medicine laced meals, Buck had insisted on stretching his legs.Despite Theo’s protestations, he had slowly walked the perimeter of the tiny camp and a bit beyond and was clutching on to a low hanging tree limb, trying to catch his breath when Twiki’s warning came.Buck listened while a starfighter flew overhead several times.Fear warred with happy anticipation at the prospects of rescue and he could only hope that he was not contagious now.Then a thought occurred to him.“Theo, back before my time, doctors made immunization serums from the antibodies of those who had had and survived a disease.Do you think, now that I am over this, they could take some of my blood and do the same?”**

**  
**

**“Perhaps, Buck,” Theo said, neglecting to mention that his friend’s present condition might make that very difficult.**

**  
**

**“Theo, can you follow this guy’s progress?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, Buck, the pilot is within a short radius.I believe that he or she is trying to find a place to land.”**

**  
**

**Straightening up and turning to Njobo, Buck said, “Do you know of any place nearby where a starfighter, a sky sled could land?”** ****

**  
**

**Njobo scratched his chin, looking thoughtful.“Yes, in that direction, not too far,” he said, pointing to the north.**

**  
**

**“Then let’s get going,” Buck said with finality.** ****

**  
**

**“Buck, you do not have the stamina to walk any distance through the forest,” Theo said.“It has just been a little more than a day since your fever broke and you have not regained your strength.”** ****

**  
**

**Exasperated, Buck retorted, “Then how do you propose that I get through the forest—fly?”** ****

**  
**

**“At least we should wait until the pilot has actually landed,” Theo said, his voice conciliatory.**

**  
**

**Buck nodded, still leaning against the tree.“Ironic, isn’t it?” Buck asked.“I busted my butt to keep away from everybody in New Chicago and now I am trying just as hard to get back.”** ****

**  
**

**“That was when you were contagious and when you thought you were going to die,” Theo said softly.“Now your mission has changed.You left to try to save New Chicago and the rest of Earth and now you are going back to do the same thing.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yeah.But I sure wish life would quit being so damned ironic,” Buck said irritably.He was very, very tired of all this.**

**  
**

**“Apparently the pilot has landed where you indicated,” Theo told Njobo** ****

**  
**

**The _BaMbuti_ had been quietly gathering his medicines and putting them in his pouch. He took up his _molimo_ and the bamboo bucket and turned to Buck.Handing him the small cup, he said, “You drink this and then we can travel to the other sky sled rider.”**

**  
**

**“Sounds good, Njobo.Thanks.”Buck finished the medicine, handed the cup back and scratched his jaw.The six-day’s growth of beard was annoying and he wished he had a razor.“I just hope I don’t scare him to death.I probably look like a wild man,” he quipped.**

**  
**

**“You are alive, Buck and I believe anything else will be inconsequential to your friends,” Theo reminded him.** ****

**  
**

**Buck took a deep breath.“Let’s hit the road, then.”** ****

**  
**

**Njobo started, leading the way, and Twiki and Theo brought up the rear to keep an eye on Buck.Njobo kept the pace very slow, knowing that otherwise the sky sled pilot would not be able to keep up.Even so, Buck stopped often to catch his breath.At one such break, Njobo cut a stout pole, smoothed the rough places with his knife and handed it to Buck to help him.**

**  
**

**“Thanks, Njobo,” Buck said, nodding for them to continue.He felt like cursing.The only time he had ever felt this helpless before was when he had been debriefed in the Inner City and then it wasn’t a physical weakness.But instead of cursing, which would have wasted breath; he just used the pole Njobo gave him and trudged ahead, concentrating only on moving one foot ahead of the other.**

**  
**

**They continued in this manner, going a short distance and then stopping so Buck could rest.The sun rose above them but the canopy filtered its heat.Then the clouds rolled overhead, not only cooling the air, but also making the forest even darker.Rain fell, and Buck paused to let it refresh him.He didn’t know how much longer he could hold out, his legs felt shaky and his breath rasped in his throat, but he was going to give it his best shot.He had to.Buck leaned on the pole as the rain dripped from the branches above.** ****

**  
**

**==============================**

**  
**

**The rain began to let up, but it continued dripping long after the clouds drifted away and the sun came out.Hawk shook his head in annoyance and consulted his locator.The signal had moved; it was coming toward him.That, he felt, was a very good sign, if it was Buck and Twiki.He loosened the laser pistol in its holster and walked more carefully, trying to avoid any undo noise. While he hoped it was Buck, Hawk was prepared for anything with which this steamy forest might surprise him.** ****

**  
**

**Hawk continued along the trail, stepping even more carefully.Suddenly ahead of him he saw a figure leaning against a walking stick.But although the man was bearded, pale and haggard looking, he recognized him immediately.“Buck!” Hawk cried out, replacing the pistol in its holster and stepping forward, clapping his friend on the shoulder.**

**  
**

**Buck staggered, but kept his footing.“Hawk,” he said with a tired smile.“You are definitely a sight for sore eyes.”** ****

**  
**

**Hawk’s dark eyes took in his friend’s condition.“Buck, were you injured?You appear as one dragged into a crelot’s cave.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck chuckled softly.“If that is the equivalent of death warmed over, then the correlation is correct, but I was not injured.”He straightened up and became somber.“What have the Lagrithians done since I disappeared?”** ****

**  
**

**“The Lagrithians?”Hawk wasn’t expecting that kind of question.“They invited Wilma up to their ship to see something they did as a memorial to you.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck’s eyes grew hard and angry.“Those sons of….”The idea that Wilma was incubating the same virus within her body that had almost killed him alternately chilled and angered him.He let the anger win out; it spurred him and seemed to give him strength he hadn’t felt since this all began.“They didn’t waste any time, did they?”He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.“How long ago?”** ****

**  
**

**“Buck, I am not sure.I got the impression she had left only a short while before I did.”He was puzzled.“What do the Lagrithians have to do with all this?Is it because of them that you crash landed here?”** ****

**  
**

**“It’s a very long story, one that I don’t have breath for, Hawk.And yes, it’s because of what the Lagrithians did that I opted to come here and ‘die’ so to speak.”Buck took in a deep breath.“Well, I actually thought I was going to die, to be perfectly truthful.But what I am recovering from is not an injury Hawk, it’s genocide, a virus they injected me with.I have survived and I don’t think I am contagious anymore.We have to warn New Chicago before Wilma spreads this contagion.The Lagrithians invited her to their ship to give the virus to her.”**


	18. Back Home

**  
**

**Hawk knew there was a great deal that was being left out, but as the implications of what Buck told him sank in, the birdman gasped.“But why would the Lagrithians do that?What could they hope to gain?”** ****

**  
**

**“How the hell should I know?!They want something!” Buck replied sharply.Then he swiped his hand across his eyes, took a deep breath and calmed down. “I’m sorry, Hawk. I didn’t mean to snap at you.It’s been a horrific week and now….Now, you have to get back to your ship and warn Dr. Huer.”** ****

**  
**

**“No, we aren’t that far from my ship, Buck.I went through the ten gates of Morphon to figure out where you were; even while everyone else was mourning your death.Now I have found you and I am not leaving you behind, especially since you appear to need help getting to my ship.”**

**  
**

**“Hawk, you don’t understand.They have to be warned.And warned now!It takes twelve hours to incubate and about a day to manifest itself.”Buck’s eyes took on a haunted look.“And then all you feel like doing is dying,” he said, his voice almost a whisper.** ****

**  
**

**“Buck.”Hawk gazed deeply into his friend’s eyes.He knew what was going on in Buck’s mind, he felt he understood this twentieth century Earthman better than most, but he kept seeing his dying wife, Koori.He kept seeing her life slipping away even as he and Buck had struggled against that other forest.Hawk felt that Buck was far from being well, so he was not going to leave him, no matter what the consequences.“My friend,” Hawk said softly, “Another hour will not change anything.Do not insist.I will not leave you.I will stay with you until we all reach my ship.”Buck’s hazel eyes continued to hold his own and the desperation began to soften and change to quiet despair.** ****

**  
**

**“For Wilma, Hawk.Please?”** ****

**  
**

**The birdman felt his heart wrench at his friend’s plea.“Buck, we will warn them in time.We will get back to New Chicago in time.I promise that.If your calculations are correct, then Wilma won’t have had a chance to get sick yet.And you survived; she will survive.She will have the best of New Chicago’s medical services to help her.”Buck sighed and looked at the ground.Hawk placed his hand on the Earthman’s shoulder.“Buck, I remember when we went through a forest like this together.We did it together.We will go through this one together as well.Do not ask me to do anything less.”**

**  
**

**Buck looked back into Hawk’s eyes, understanding what the birdman was referring to.In his mind’s eye, he saw the forest of Koori’s death, felt the pain of their failure, their guilt and their sorrow, and Buck remembered the bonds of friendship and hope forged from the fires of hate and despair.While still wishing Hawk would go and give the warning, he understood perfectly.He nodded.**

**  
**

**Hearing a slight noise, Hawk pivoted and stared at a small man that had not been there a second ago.**

**  
**

**“Hawk, meet Njobo.He saved my life.”** ****

**  
**

**Hawk bowed and greeted the _BaMbuti. _“My thanks to you,” he said simply.** ****

**  
**

**Theo translated and Njobo smiled.“You are the one whom I saw in the shared-dream.The one who flies without a sky sled.”**

**  
**

**Buck translated.Hawk looked puzzled.Puzzled at the dream reference and puzzled by the translation process, but he felt all things would be explained in their own due time.**

**  
**

**Buck said, “It’s a long story, Hawk.Theo and Njobo can tell most of it on the way.It gets a bit deep.But we need to go, since no one seems to want to listen to me anymore,” he added with an almost imperceptible smile.** ****

**  
**

**They trudged through the forest, Hawk helping Buck at times when the path was wide enough, simply slowing his pace and watching his friend when it wasn’t.Njobo continued to lead the small group unerringly toward the clearing on a path that seemed straighter and easier than the one Hawk had taken to find Buck.He could not understand how he could have missed it, but then this was Njobo’s home.As they negotiated the path back to the clearing, the birdman listened in horror as Dr. Theopolis related the story of the Lagrithian’s subterfuge and Buck’s subsequent ordeal.Occasionally Buck would add a detail, but mostly he concentrated on walking along the path.** ****

**  
**

**After an hour, Hawk began watching his friend with concern, and he wondered if Buck would make it to his starfighter.Despite the _BaMbuti’s_ care, Buck was still in need of some serious medical attention.Hawk checked his locator and saw they had slightly less than a quarter of a mile to his ship.“We’re not far,” he said. “Let’s take a short break and then we can go the rest of the way quickly.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck glanced at him and smiled softly.“Thanks, Hawk,” he murmured.He continued to lean on his walking stick.**

**  
**

**Njobo sat down in front of Buck.“Sit down,” he ordered, pulling the cup and his medicines out of his _dawa_ pouch.**

**  
**

**“Won’t be able to get up if I do,” Buck replied, but he did as he was told, realizing that it was futile to argue with the _dawa _man.And he had to admit, Njobohad not been wrong yet.** ****

**  
**

**“What can I do?” Hawk asked both men.**

**  
**

**Buck answered immediately, “Pray we get back to New Chicago in time.”** ****

**  
**

**Theo translated for Njobo and the _BaMbuti _pointed to the forest and said, “I would like you to find some water.”** ****

**  
**

**This time Buck translated for Hawk and added, “Lots of times you’ll find water puddled in holes of tree trunks or in large leaves or flowers.”** ****

**  
**

**Hawk nodded and picked up the bucket.With a glance toward Buck, he stepped beyond the path and was soon lost from view.**

**  
**

**“Buck, my sensors tell me that Hawk’s ship is only three sixteenths of a mile distant.I am not sure you can keep this up.”** ****

**  
**

**“Theo, would you quit telling me what I can’t do.I have to make it!You jokers won’t leave me to go contact the Directorate, so I have to.”He sighed.“I have to anyway,” he murmured more to himself than to anyone else.**

**  
**

**Hawk soon returned. “I could not find any more water in the near vicinity, but I thought this would be enough for now.”**

**  
**

**Njobo nodded when he looked in the bucket and then began mixing his medicines.**

**  
**

**“Njobo?” Buck began and then hesitated, unsure of how to broach the subject that was on his mind.“Your medicines were instrumental in saving my life.Would it be possible for us to take samples of them back to New Chicago with us?You can tell Theo what each is used for.”** ****

**  
**

**Njobo silently continued mixing the medicine after Theo had translated, but he pondered Buck’s request.As he had told his brother, he felt as though he had learned enough of this man and his world to understand what was happening.He knew the madmen were determined to kill everyone.He also understood that the Forest was the means to saving the whole world.And the Forest included him.**

**  
**

**“Buck, Dream Sharer, it is not yet time for us to part.And Thee-o could not use or mix the medicines correctly.You will take me as well as the medicines.As fearful as this is to me, my dreams have told me this is to be,” Njobo said.He poured water into the cup, mixed the medicine, and handed the cup to Buck.** ****

**  
**

**Buck stared at the _BaMbuti _in shock.He thought he could understand to a certain degree what this kind of trip might mean to this man of the forest.To go from an almost stone age existence to something as modern as New Chicago and the Inner City could possibly overwhelm the _BaMbuti_.At least he had had a knowledge of some modern technology when he had awakened in this century.“Njobo, you have no idea what my world is like.What my people are like.It might be more than you can handle.”** ****

**  
**

**“Buck, I know you and Thee-o and Twee-kee and Hawk and Gor-don.I….”** ****

**  
**

**“What?Who did you say?Gordon?” Buck asked.Could Njobo be talking about Brigadier Gordon?He remembered a picture that the Brigadier had shown him of his younger days.“Would you be talking about a man not quite my height, blond, um, light hair, blue eyes?A sky sled pilot?”Theo translated and Njobo nodded.Buck began wondering what else he didn’t know about this man in front of him.** ****

**  
**

**“Many years ago another sky sled crashed into the Forest.The rider was named Gor-don and he was hurt.Me, my uncle and my father helped him until your people came to get him.He promised not to tell of us.Do you know Gor-don?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, I believe so, Njobo.I flew with him once.”Buck felt that this might explain why Njobo had so quickly helped him.The_ BaMbuti_ was already used to someone from New Chicago.“Regardless, it will be strange to you, not peaceful like your forest is.”** ****

**  
**

**“Buck, through the shared dreams, I have seen a small bit of your world, enough to make me sad that you and your people do not have a forest to make them happy and to nurture them.I also understand this fight against these madmen.It was the Forest that saved you.I understand the Forest and can help you save your friends.The forest will be in my heart until I return, and I believe that a part of the Forest will stay with your people even after I am gone.Then they will be happy and that will make me happy.I will come with you.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck could say nothing for a moment.“You’re sure?” he asked.**

**  
**

**“Yes, I am sure, Buck.My brother has been gathering medicine plants.They will be waiting at Hawk’s sky sled.”**

**  
**

**“And New Chicago’s doctors will be able to study why Njobo resisted the virus,” Theo said, excited.**

**  
**

**“Thank you, Njobo,” Buck said, his voice heavy with gratitude.He drank the medicine the _dawa_ man had given him.He didn’t know what was in this particular concoction, but like before, it gave him a little energy.Enough so that Buck got up, dusted himself off and began walking toward Hawk’s ship.“Let’s go, troops.We have a plane to catch.”**

**  
**

**Hawk shook his head at Buck’s attempt at levity and fell in beside him.If he had not seen what had happened to his people, the horrific genocide of a once proud race, he would have been totally appalled by what had been inflicted on his friend.But very little surprised the birdman anymore.**

**  
**

**By the time they had reached the small clearing, another rain shower had passed overhead.Buck stood leaning on the walking stick, trying to gather his breath, while he gazed at Hawk’s ship.He didn’t think he had ever seen anything quite so wonderful in his life.**

**  
**

**“You see, I told you that you would make it.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck simply nodded and walked haltingly toward the starfighter.His feet felt like lead weights.“Do you think you could call Dr. Huer now?” he asked.**

**  
**

**“Yes, but let me help you in first,” Hawk said.With the birdman’s help, Buck was soon resting in the back of the cockpit, squeezed between Twiki and Theo, and Njobo, whose eyes looked fearfully at all the instrumentation and blinking hardware inside the starship.As Njobo had promised, there were plants, roots and other medicinals waiting for them, and all had been stored in a small cargo compartment in the belly of the starfighter.The _BaMbuti_ had insisted on keeping his _dawa_ bag and his _molimo_ with him, however and they rested between Njobo’s knees.Hawk settled in the front of the cockpit and began the pre-flight sequence.**

**  
**

**“Hawk, contact Dr. Huer now,” Buck insisted.He felt so tired, but this had to be done.“Tell them that Wilma and everyone she has come in contact with must be quarantined.And make sure it’s private,” he added.“I can’t help but think the Lagrithians will be monitoring everything they can to follow the progress of our demise.”**

**Hawk activated his communicator and directed a call to Dr. Huer.The Directorate leader responded almost immediately, his face hopeful and expectant, studying the birdman for any clues.**

**  
**

**“Hawk, did you have any success?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, I did.We are coming back now,” Hawk replied.**

**  
**

**“We?Then you did….That’s wonderful!”Huer’s face lit up with joy.** ****

**  
**

**“Listen, Doc,” Buck called out.“You’ve got to do something vital.Without delay.”** ****

**  
**

**“Buck?Thank goodness you’re….”** ****

**  
**

**“Is this line private, totally private?” Buck interrupted.** ****

**  
**

**“Why, yes, Buck,” Huer replied.He heard the urgency in Buck’s voice as well as the fatigue.**

**  
**

**“Good.Now listen.You have to quarantine Wilma and anyone she’s come in contact with since she returned from the Lagrithian ship.”** ****

**  
**

**“What?” Huer said, not expecting anything like that.**

**  
**

**“Just do it, Doc.And don’t make contact with the Lagrithians, either,” Buck told him.**

**  
**

**“But why, Buck?”** ****

**  
**

**All of the walking, all of the past days in the jungle were catching up with him.Buck felt reality wavering and slipping away.“Global genocide, Doctor Huer.”He felt the vibration of Hawk’s ship and it lulled him.“Trust me on this.Please.”He felt Njobo’s hand clutching his arm and he murmured, “You’ll be fine, Njobo, I promise.”And then reality finally relinquished its hold and he lay his head back and fell asleep.**

**  
**

**“And what part do the Lagrithians have in this, Buck?” Huer asked, bewildered.** ****

**  
**

**When Buck didn’t answer, Hawk looked back.“Dr. Huer, Buck is unable to answer your question right now.The Lagrithians are the ones who gave Buck and Wilma the contagion.Whatever Buck has on his mind, I am sure he will tell you later, but it is imperative that you do as Buck says.We will be in New Chicago soon and then everything will be explained.And as a precaution, have a quarantine unit waiting for my ship as well. Buck does not think he is contagious anymore, but he didn’t think you should take any chances.”** ****

**  
**

**“Very well, Hawk,” Huer said, his countenance suddenly tired as the full realization of what Buck and Hawk had conveyed to him set in.Hawk cut the communications, slowly lifted his ship into the fading light of late evening and headed west.As he rose above the canopy, he pushed the button that allowed his wings to flare outward and catch the air currents.The sub-light engines boosted the craft into a faster than sound speed that would quickly take them to New Chicago.**

<


	19. Return Home

**Even while Dr. Huer was contemplating the minute, but horrifying bit of information that Buck and Hawk had given him, his mind was rejoicing that Buck was alive.He did not in the least question Captain Roger’s directives; it was only a matter of how to deal with the tremor effect of what he was about to do.This kind of activity couldn’t be hidden from the public for too long and a shocked and frightened public would be clamoring for explanations.However, Buck’s warning would allow the Directorate to contain this virus and keep a disaster of holocaustic proportions from occurring. _Global genocide? _he repeated in his mind.Why?What were the Lagrithians’ motives?What did they want?What in the world would cause someone to unleash bio-hazardous materials on a world with whom they weren’t even at war?** ****

**  
**

**First he had to contact the Directorate’s Bio-Hazard team.Then he would contact Wilma to find out everyone she had been in contact with since her return from the Lagrithian ship.She should be home by now.She had complained of a headache even while they were together just over an hour ago.**

**  
**

**“Headache,” he whispered.Dr. Huer felt a cold fist gripping his heart._Global genocide!And they were using Buck and Wilma as its carriers._Was a headache the first manifestation of the contagion?If so, it was an incredibly fast acting virus.It was a wonder that Buck managed to make a controlled landing.Or had they made it even more deadly in the days following Buck’s so-called ‘death?’He opened the link to Wilma’s apartment.He had to contact her first.He had to know if she was all right.There was no response.The fist of fear gripped harder and his breath caught in his throat.He called again, but there was still no response.**

**  
**

**He keyed another number, one he had hoped he would never have to use.The possibility of contagion borne of nuclear mutation was something for which the Directorate had planned for some years ago.Now he was going to see just how effective it was.And hope it wasn’t too late for Wilma.**

**  
**

**The moon-faced countenance of Colonel Dirk Millard appeared on the screen.“Colonel Millard, this is Dr. Huer.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, sir,” Millard responded crisply.“What can I do for you, sir?”He was a fairly young man, but quite capable, he was told, of handling emergencies and taking charge.**

**  
**

**“Mobilize your bio-hazard units.We have a confirmed contagion.”The colonel’s eyes first showed surprise, then fear and then the training kicked in.Huer continued, “You will first go to Colonel Deering’s apartment and take her to the quarantine unit.She is already symptomatic and may not be responsive.Secure her quarters.Do the same with all persons she says, if she is able to tell you, that she came in contact with today.I am sending you a partial list of contacts.You will send a squad here and follow the same procedure.You must do this quickly and discreetly, Colonel.”Huer took a deep breath to allow Millard a moment to assimilate all of this.“Finally, you will direct the starfighter of _Searcher_ crewmember, Hawk, to a landing bay specially designated for this emergency and escort all passengers to the quarantine area.”As he was giving the verbal instructions, Huer was also sending the contact data.“Are you clear on your instructions, Colonel?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, sir, Dr. Huer.I assume this is a Class I exercise?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, only those being quarantined are to know what is going on.”**

**  
**

**“Yes, sir.”Reaching for his computer, Huer cut the link.He began gathering those things that were essential to him in the running of the government.When the bio-hazard squad arrived, he was ready, submitting to wearing the bulky contamination suit.Hopefully, most of those in the hallways would think the unit was running a drill.Thanks to Col. Millard’s diligence, they ran them quite often.That would offset any questions or panic for a while, anyway._Thank goodness for small favors, _he thought_ ._**

** **

** _  
_ ** ****

**When they arrived at the landing bay being set aside by the bio-hazard unit, he asked, “Colonel Deering?”** ****

**  
**

**“She is in the medical bay.We were unable to get any information from her.As you suspected, she was unconscious when we got there.If you like, we can take you to her, since you, well, since you have already….”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, I know, Colonel and, yes, I want to see Wilma.”The fear that Huer had forced into the far corner of his mind surged forward.Surely Buck’s warning had not come too late.It couldn’t have.His mind spun trying to think all this through.Buck was contaminated with the same contagion, but he had survived and without the aid of New Chicago’s doctors.Wilma could do the same.Then he paused in mid-thought.Buck has survived this virus; his cells might be able to provide the clues to develop a serum against it.“I want to see her before I meet Hawk and . . . and his passenger.”**

**=============================**

**  
**

**Wilma heard voices, felt the harshness of the bright lights against her eyelids, but she could not respond.She could only feel pain, a harsh excruciating agony that seemed to beat against every atom in her body.If it would only go away, she thought.Very seldom had she gotten sick, usually she was fit and healthy, but now?Now she only wanted to die.** ****

**  
**

**What had they said when they came to her apartment.Put under quarantine?_Why? For a headache?_Something about a contagious virus.If that was what was causing this, she sincerely wished no one else got it._No one else should go through this_.**

**  
**

**The pain was accompanied with heat.An unquenchable fire that seemed to be fed by the pain.**

**  
**

**“Wilma.Wilma,” a voice impinged into her misery.Buck?No, Buck is dead.Dr. Huer.That’s who it was.** ****

**  
**

**“Wilma?”** ****

**  
**

**She didn’t open her eyes, but she answered, her voice barely audible.“Dr. Huer.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, my child.I am here.”His voice was soft and soothing.** ****

**  
**

**“What’s wrong with me?” she asked.She felt tears rolling down her cheeks, hot tears of her pain.**

**  
**

**“The Lagrithians infected you with a contagion.”** ****

**  
**

**Even in her misery, Wilma’s mind cried out ‘why?’** ****

**  
**

**Dr. Huer must have anticipated her question.“They apparently wanted to wipe out the population.Why, I don’t know.”** ****

**  
**

**“Buck.That’s why he….”Her voice failed her and the sentence ended in a moan.** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, that’s why Buck crashed his ship.”** ****

**  
**

**The pain seemed to be increasing, if that was possible. The fire in her soul seemed to be consuming her.She couldn’t concentrate on Dr. Huer’s words.**

**  
**

**“Wilma, Buck survived this.You can, too.”** ****

**  
**

**“Buck’s dead,” she whispered.Blackness began overtaking her._At least he went quickly in that crash, _she thought as she slipped into semi-pain free oblivion.** ****

**  
**

**“No, he’s alive, Wilma.He’s alive and he’s coming home,” Huer said, but he didn’t know if she heard him or not.The hand he was holding went limp.**

**  
**

**The med tech attending to Wilma came over and checked her vital signs, shooing him out of the room.**

**  
**

**============================** ****

**  
**

**Njobo felt alone, totally, absolutely alone.Even during the times when he had been in the forest by himself, he had never felt this alone.He had always had the Forest around him, part of him.Now he only felt the deadness of the sky sled.The vibration of the craft did not lull him as it seemed to have done with Buck, it just reminded him of how far behind the forest, his home, his life, was.**

**  
**

**“Perhaps you should sing on your _molimo_, Njobo,” Theo suggested, his voice soothing.**

**  
**

**Leaning forward, Njobo gazed at the little round box that was Thee-o and nodded.“You are very wise.Thank you,” Njobo murmured.He looked down at the _dawa_ pouch between his knees and saw the _molimo_, sticking out invitingly.He reached for the small bamboo trumpet, and although it was very cramped in this space in the back of the sky sled, he was able to pull it out and raise it to his lips.He began to sing softly, so as to not disturb Hawk as he guided the sled. Njobo sang of the trees, the flowers, the rain and the animals.He sang so the Forest would not forget him.He sang to sooth his soul and to keep a piece of his _Ndura_ with him while he was away.While he sang he felt Buck’s dreams weaving themselves through his mind and he saw stars with a clarity he had never seen before.Njobo felt he could reach out and touch them.**

**  
**

**But then he realized that he was not looking up at them, he was among them.Njobo almost dropped the _molimo_; he was so astonished.The heavenly lights winked in colors as numerous as the flowers in his own forest.Plumes of feathery substance flowed around him and seemed to wave in a slow dance of wonder.Njobo realized, in amazement that Buck did not ride his sky sled just above the canopy only, but also through the heavens, through the dark starlit sky that he had only wondered about.And that was where these madmen resided as well.While still confused beyond measure, Njobo understood better than he had before.The heavens must be Buck and his people’s _Ndura_, their Forest, that which sustains and makes happy, just as his home sustained and made him and the _BaMbuti_ happy.But that was not totally true, Njobo realized in the same instant.It was the heavens and the forest combined that nurtured these people that Buck belonged to.**

**  
**

**As he continued to sing, he saw a huge, monstrous structure in the vaulted ceiling of the heavens, its spires larger than any limb ever put out by his forest.He went inside this structure and saw people of numerous shapes, sizes and colors.Then he flew back out again and saw the _Ndura_, the whole world before him, a huge blue, green, and brown orb, beautiful and stately.His song began to incorporate the stars and the beautiful world before him.He immediately saw where his Forest was, but that was not where Buck’s dream self was going.**

**  
**

**They sped over the same land Njobo had seen before, the harsh and barren area that had little or no vegetation growing on it.They approached something that reminded Njobo of a forest but it was nothing that had grown from the ground.These were huge huts that had been constructed, put together by men.They were made from stone and dead trees and things he could not conceive of.** ****

**  
**

**The sky sled went into an area of bright lights where men and women were waiting, most dressed as Buck was dressed, in white garments that covered their bodies.A woman with earth brown hair smiled, her happiness apparent.An older man, a_ mangese,_ Njobo perceived, also smiled happily.Njobo realized that these people were able to find happiness in their lives here in this strange habitation.They gave and received their happiness from each other and not just from the forest, although Njobo felt a portion of the Forest’s influence even in this place.It had to be the ground.The ground nurtured these people like Buck.Njobo stopped pondering and let the music of his _Ndura_ and Buck’s mingle and blend.It was pleasant and it helped still the fear that separation from his Forest had placed in his heart.His song softened and then ceased as Njobo dozed in the cramped seat of the sky sled, his _molimo_ lying peacefully on his lap.** ****

**  
**

**  
**

**Hawk gazed out of the view screen in wonder as the notes of the _BaMbuti’s_ song faded.He had felt he had been seeing things through another’s eyes and he had been soothed and entranced.He wished it could have continued, for he had felt the melodies and heard the notes of his own people flowing through his mind and coursing through his blood.He even thought he had heard the notes from one of Koori’s songs floating in the air.** ****

**  
**

**“How far are we from New Chicago?” Buck asked, interrupting Hawk’s reverie.**

**  
**

**“Close enough to make contact soon, Buck,” Hawk responded.“How are you doing?”** ****

**  
**

**“Much better than I was a few hours ago.”He paused.“Hawk, did Njobo sing into his _molimo_?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, and it was amazing.Is that what he referred to as sharer of dreams?” Hawk asked.** ****

**  
**

**“Yes.Except this time I think he was mostly taking my dreams and incorporating them into his song.I dreamed I was traveling among the stars.”** ****

**  
**

**“And I heard the celebration songs of my people,” Hawk said.**

**  
**

**“It’s incredible what has survived the holocaust or come out of it,” Buck pondered aloud.**

**  
**

**“Your friend seems to consider his forest as some kind of entity.”** ****

**  
**

**“Maybe it is, Hawk.Who knows?Through Njobo’s expertise, it has saved me,” Buck said contemplatively.**

**  
**

**“_Searcher_ starfighter 227, this is New Chicago.You are directed to hangar thirty,” an austere voice directed.**

**  
**

**Buck felt a quick surge of joy.He was coming home. The flowing wasteland didn’t bother him like it had before, he simply ignored it, and he watched eagerly for the spires of New Chicago to come into view.If not for the Lagrithian threat, his joy would be complete.**

**  
**

**“Home, Sweet, Home,” Twiki said, echoing Buck’s sentiments.Only when Hawk had landed did Buck touch Njobo on the arm and awaken him.“Stay close to me,” he told the _BaMbuti._Theo translated and Njobo nodded.Hawk undogged the hatch and stood up.Bio-hazard technicians stood nearby, as did Dr. Huer.**

**  
**

**“Buck, let me give you a hand,” Hawk offered.**

**  
**

**“Hey, when I was ‘dead’ before, I walked out of my craft under my own power.I’m fine.You help Twiki and Njobo and I will take care of myself,” Buck replied jauntily._I hope,_ he thought.He helped Twiki into Hawk’s waiting hands and did the same for Njobo.Twiki slid into the arms of a bio-hazard technician, while Njobo stayed by Hawk’s side until the birdman jumped down.**

**  
**

**“Let us see how good your words are, my friend,” Hawk quipped as he helped Njobo to the ground.**

**  
**

**“Yeah.”Buck felt like a player in a for-stakes poker game.His bluff had been called and now he had to play the hand.He grabbed Hawk’s chair and pulled himself up.But he took no chances on jumping down from the wing of Hawk’s ship; rather he used the recessed steps in the fuselage.When he was on the ground he turned and accepted Dr. Huer’s outstretched hand.**

**  
**

**“Welcome home, Buck.”The older man’s eyes were filled with unshed tears of happiness and he was grinning from ear to ear.**

**  
**

**Buck found himself smiling back, happy to be home.Nearby, the technicians were gaping openly.“Reports of my death are highly exaggerated,” he laughed, enjoying his homecoming as much as he was enjoying their discomfiture.**


	20. First Day Home

**  
**

**Dr. Huer continued to pump Buck’s arm in his happiness.A thought occurred to Buck.“Uh, Doc, you’re down here, too?”** ****

**  
**

**“I was with Wilma shortly before I got yours and Hawk’s communication.”** ****

**  
**

**“How is she?” Buck asked.**

**  
**

**Dr. Huer’s face told him the story before the older man even opened his mouth.“She is sick, Buck.Very sick.”He let go of Buck’s hand and asked somberly, “How did you survive with something like that?”** ****

**  
**

**Buck felt a wrenching sadness that Wilma was experiencing what he had gone through, and all he wanted to do was to go to her and reassure her.But he knew what would be of the most value to her now.“Doctor Huer, this is Njobo,” he said, placing his hand on the _BaMbuti’s_ shoulder. “He took care of me and gave me medicines that saved my life.He also has an immunity to what I had, too.Perhaps between the forest remedies, his antibodies and mine, the doctors can come up with an antidote.”**

**  
**

**Dr. Huer turned his attention to Njobo and bowed slightly.“Welcome to New Chicago and thank you for coming to help us.”**

**  
**

**Theo translated and Njobo smiled.“_Mangese_, we are all one people of the _Ndura_.We all help each other when there is need,” he said formally.Even as he spoke, he was looking all around the hangar trying to take in the strange and puzzling things he saw in the huge room.**

**  
**

**Theo translated again.Hawk handed Njobo his medicines.Huer pointed down a corridor.“We have no time to spare.We must go to the medical bay where the doctor can examine both of you and your medicines.”**

**  
**

**Again Buck told the pygmy, “Stick close to me.”Njobo needed no further reminder; he was almost as close to Buck or Twiki as a shadow.His eyes were wide as saucers as the small group left the hanger and walked down a starkly white corridor.** ****

**  
**

**Dr. Huer walked close to Buck as well.“You look very pale, Buck.Are you doing all right?”** ****

**  
**

**“Buck is feeling the effects of the virus, which, according to my calculations, attacks its victims….”** ****

**  
**

**“Theo, thank you very much for your concern, but I’m fine,” Buck interrupted.“I am two hundred and fifty percent better than I was a couple of days ago.I’m just tired and dirty and very, very glad to be home.”He thought of something and paused in mid-stride.“Doctor Huer, I would appreciate it if you could keep a lid on my return from the dead for a couple of days.”** ****

**  
**

**“A lid?Oh, keep it secret.” he asked.Buck nodded.Huer’s familiarity with Buck told him that the captain has some sort of plot brewing in the back of his mind.“I suppose that could be arranged.So far we’ve managed to keep this virus a fairly well guarded secret.”He turned to the man next to him and gave him instructions.** ****

**  
**

**“Good, although in about a day, it might not hurt to let the news leak in such a way that the Lagrithians will pick up on it.”** ****

**  
**

**Huer knew better than to ask the specifics of what Buck had just said.He knew the gist of the comment.“Now what do you have in mind?And be aware, I have been discussing this with Earth’s representative from the Galactic Council.Just so happens that he was visiting New Chicago.The Council is going to take care of the Lagrithians.”** ****

**  
**

**“I have in mind a small surprise for the Lagrithians, Doc. Especially Foreenizor.I have an idea of what I want to do, but nothing specific yet.First, I want to let the doctors do their stuff and find an anti-viral serum for this thing,” Buck said.They arrived at the medical bay and were shown to a room.There, Buck dropped all pretense of normalcy.He grabbed the nearest chair and dropped into it.** ****

**  
**

**“Buck, are you all right?” Huer asked.**

**  
**

**Buck nodded, only wishing at this point to be over this illness.In lieu of that, he only wanted to crawl into a nice clean bed and hibernate.** ****

**  
**

**Njobo touched his arm and pointed to his pouch.“Even though you are in your home, do you wish me to make the medicine to help you regain your strength?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, but only if you have enough to let these guys examine it in their lab and to give Wilma some,” Buck answered, indicating the two doctors who had appeared in the room as soon as he had.They looked dubiously at the _BaMbuti_, but at a gesture from Buck, they stood back and let Njobo work.**

**  
**

**Theo translated Buck’s words and Njobo pulled a leaf-covered packet from his pouch.“I need water,” the _BaMbuti _said.**

**  
**

**“Twiki, take care of that,” Buck instructed.The next hour was a blur to Buck, a combination of Njobo’s ministrations, the doctors’ examinations and even more welcome to him, a bed.As he lay back, he felt the pricks of several needles and then nothing but welcome rest.**

**  
**

**When he awoke, he saw Njobo curled up, sleeping, on a lounge chair near his bed, and Hawk sitting in another chair by the door, watching him.** ****

**  
**

**“Welcome back, Buck,” Hawk said softly.** ****

**  
**

**Buck adjusted the bed to accommodate his sore back.“How long have I been out?”He rubbed his hand, feeling where and IV had been administered.**

**  
**

**“Almost twenty-four hours.”**

**  
**

**“Holy cow!” Buck exclaimed.“What’s going on?What is the status on an anti-virus serum?And most important, how’s Wilma?”** ****

**  
**

**“The last doctor who was in here said that they believed that they had a preventative serum and one to give those who are already infected.They couldn’t say enough about Njobo’s contribution.”**

**  
**

**“And Wilma,” Buck prompted.** ****

**  
**

**“She is still quite sick.I was allowed to see her very briefly, but she was not lucid.Since then her nurse has let me know what is going on.Wilma was in the greatest need, so she was the first one who received the serum.”Hawk paused."I have not received word as to how she is doing since she was given the antidote."** ****

**  
**

**Buck sighed and looked over at Njobo.“How’s he managing?”** ****

**  
**

**“So far, he’s doing fine, but he has not been out of sight of either you, Twiki, Theo or me,” Hawk replied.**

**  
**

**“Understandable.”** ****

**  
**

**“How are you feeling?” Hawk asked.**

**  
**

**“Much better.”He slid out of the bed.Hospital garb hadn’t changed much since the twentieth century, but at least they were civilized enough in this century to provide a robe.Buck grabbed the one next to his bed and put it on.**

**  
**

**“One of the med techs said they were going to be bringing dinner in a few minutes,” Hawk said.**

**  
**

**Buck felt his stomach rumbling in anticipation, but he ignored it.“First things first.Where’s Wilma’s room?”** ****

**  
**

**“I was told it was the room next to this one,” Hawk said, pointing.** ****

**  
**

**“Thanks.”Buck rubbed his smooth chin and looked in the small mirror over the bathroom sink.“Service in twenty-fifth century hospitals is much better, too.”Njobo stirred, sighed and kept sleeping.“Keep an eye on Njobo till I get back.”** ****

**  
**

**Hawk nodded, not saying anything.He thought, considering what he had been told, that this visit would be hard on his friend, but he felt there was nothing he could say or do that would make it easier.**

**  
**

**Buck sauntered out of the room and Hawk was amazed at what a difference a day could make, although his friend’s recovery was not quite complete.Of course, considering all they had done to Buck and all they had given him, it was no wonder._Njobo’s remedies times ten, _Hawk thought sardonically.** ****

**  
**

**Buck stood in front of Wilma’s door a moment before touching the access plate.He felt apprehension warring with something else, something he wasn’t sure about.Reaching up, he activated the sensor and waited for the door to slide open.Instead of access, though, a computerized voice spoke to him.“Only authorized personal are allowed to visit individuals in bio-hazard designated areas.Please state your name and authorization number.”**

**  
**

_ **Authorization number** _ **?“Captain Buck Rogers,” he said.After a short pause, the door slid open and he stepped inside.“Wilma?”** ****

**  
**

**The lighting was dimmed and remembering how the sun had affected him at the beginning of his ordeal with the virus, he completely understood.He saw Wilma sleeping on a bed on the other side of the room and he walked to her side.She looked deathly pale and her hair lay limp on her pillow.Despite the care she was receiving, Buck felt fear squeezing his heart.She looked so very vulnerable, so small in that bed.He reached out and touched her cheek and felt the heat of fever.If only he could have figured a way to get a message to her.If only he had tried to come back sooner.He shook his head, trying to shake off the recriminations.“You will get well, Wilma,” he whispered.** ****

**  
**

**“She is still sick, so I doubt she’ll be lucid enough to talk to you,” a voice behind him said.**

**  
**

**Buck jumped slightly and turned to see a middle aged med tech, her gray-green eyes serious, but also they contained a slight curiosity.Overall, Buck felt he was being measured.He didn’t know why, he just did.“Uh, that’s okay,” he replied.“I just wanted to see her.Let her know I’m alive and I’m here.”There was something slightly familiar looking about this woman, but in the semi-light of the room, he couldn’t see her well enough to figure out what it was.Buck gazed at Wilma, at the medical equipment that chirped and clicked and whirred, and then looked back at the med tech.**

**  
**

**“You seem to have this uncanny knack for surviving, Captain,” she said with a wry smile.**

**  
**

**“Must be those twentieth century genes,” he quipped, for wont of anything better to say.He wished she’d leave so he could sit with Wilma for a bit.**

**  
**

**She cocked her head, her eyes impassive and clinical and then she looked at the little med computer sitting on her lap.“I think in this case, you are at least partially correct.From the reports it seems that between the help of the forest doctor and your microbiological makeup, you were able to survive in the primitive forest.”** ****

**  
**

**“Maybe it was because of Njobo and the forest that I did survive,” Buck said somewhat testily._Get lost, lady! _he thought.He forced himself to calm down.“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so crabby.What about Wilma?I was told that she’s had a dose of the anti-viral serum, but she still looks very sick.”Buck half turned away from the med-tech.He took Wilma’s hand in his and began to softly stroke it.** ****

**  
**

**“The virus incubated quickly and made her sick very quickly.Believe it or not, the serum seems to be working.Her fever has come down and she seems to be in a great deal less pain.”**

**  
**

**Buck nodded.“And others?”** ****

**  
**

**“The serum seems to have prevented most of what you and Wilma have had to deal with. Most recent manifestations of the virus seem to be more like an ordinary case of the flu.”** ****

**  
**

**“Good.”Buck turned back to Wilma, reaching over and pushing an errant lock of hair out of her eyes.She moaned softly and then settled back into a semi-restful sleep.** ****

**  
**

_ **They are closer than you realize.** _ **The thought came unbidden into his mind.Where had he heard that?Then it came to him. His parents!He continued holding Wilma’s hand, remembering all the times she had come on to him.He had either ignored it or rebuffed her.Now Buck wondered why.Could it be that first impression?The hard as nails, tough, boss lady exterior that had put him off?But they were close; they respected each other.So what was it?_Me?_But could it change?Then he decided that if nothing ever went beyond what they had now, this safe filial bond they had developed, Buck had to at least explore a deeper relationship.Wilma was a special woman, not just a beautiful one.**

**  
**

**He remembered the med tech and glanced around.“Any possibility of privacy?” he asked.**

**  
**

**She shook her head.“No, Captain.I’m sorry, but Wilma is still under critical care.You will have to simply try and ignore me, or come back later when she is better.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck sighed, disappointed.He would let her know he was back and talk to her later when they could be alone.“Wilma, it’s Buck.”** ****

**  
**

**“Buck?” she murmured almost inaudibly.Slowly Wilma opened her eyes and gazed at him, puzzled.“But you’re dead. You crashed.In the forest.”Her eyes stayed locked on his but they had a befuddled, far away look.“Am I dead, too?”** ****

**  
**

**“No, Wilma.I am very much alive and so are you.”Gently he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.** ****

**  
**

**She gazed at her hand in puzzled wonder and then looked back into his eyes.“Then it’s a dream.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck laughed.“Wilma, they didn’t call me Lucky Buck for nothing.Believe me. I am alive and I’m back home.And you’re alive and soon you’ll be well.”** ****

**  
**

**There was still doubt in her eyes.She blinked and continued to gaze at him.Then she smiled slightly.“But what a dream it is!”** ****

**  
**

**“Wilma, you are the most hard-headed woman I have ever met!” Buck said in exasperation.“I am alive!”He didn’t even think about what he did next, he just did it.Bending over her bed, Buck placed his hand behind Wilma’s head and then he kissed her, long and deep.She was limp for a moment and then, as though finally understanding, she responded.Buck felt the warmth of her passion, even as sick as she still was.And he felt his own passion rise.Then he remembered that they had an audience and Buck gently pulled away, his fingers moving lightly down her cheek.Wilma gazed at him in wonder.“Oh, thank God you are alive.Oh, Buck, I missed you.I . . . I, oh, when I thought you were dead….”** ****

**  
**

**He put his finger on her lips.“Wilma, I am so sorry I didn’t find some other way to warn you.I felt terrible that I couldn’t tell you, but I couldn’t.”** ****

**  
**

**“The Lagrithians?”** ****

**  
**

**He nodded and changed the subject to something more pleasant.“You are beautiful, Wilma Deering.”**

**  
**

**She blinked in surprise and then she blinked again, as though trying to stay awake.“Buck, you . . . you kissed me.And then you….Buck Rogers, are you only doing this because I am….?”she began, a frown on her face.**

**  
**

**“….sick?No,” he said softly.“Because I have finally discovered my present and future.”Again, he remembered the med tech, sitting in the corner, not in the least bit trying to be unobtrusive.** ****

**  
**

**Wilma yawned and closed her eyes.“Still think I am dreaming,” she murmured, but when she fell asleep, she had a smile on her lips.**

**  
**

**“Sleep well, Wilma,” he whispered in her ear.**


	21. Plots and Plans

**  
**

**Buck turned and half saluted the med tech.He smiled at her, but he felt anything but jaunty.The sight of Wilma so sick and the thought of her suffering as he had infuriated him.“Thanks.I’ll be back as soon as I take care of some unfinished business.”**

**  
**

**“Captain Rogers,” she said, getting up and walking to the door where he waited.**

**  
**

**“Yes?”** ****

**  
**

**She leaned up and kissed him quickly, then stepped back with an enigmatic smile on her face.**

**  
**

**Buck was taken aback.“What the heck was that for?” he asked in surprise.**

**  
**

**“I was planning on telling you what an arrogant, immature ass I thought you were, but I changed my mind,” she said.** ****

**  
**

**Buck just stood gaping for a moment.“Am I missing something?Like maybe the subway to Times Square?”** ****

**  
**

**The med tech cocked her head in bewilderment, but apparently decided to let his comment pass.“Wilma has had feelings for you almost since the day you flew into New Chicago in that antiquated space ship of yours.Why do you think she put her career as leader of the Defense Force on hiatus, perhaps permanently, to join the crew of the _Searcher?_And as a communications officer, no less!”** ****

**  
**

**“She wanted a change of venue?” Buck asked, and then realized when the med tech frowned that he had said the wrong thing.But why, he didn’t know.This woman was exasperating.He sighed and reined in his irritation.“Look, lady, I don’t really know why.Wilma just passed it off as something she decided to do because she wanted to try something different for a while.So you tell me why.”** ****

**  
**

**“You.”** ****

**  
**

**“Me?” Buck asked in surprise.“But … but I figured the Directorate had asked her and she really didn’t really want to leave, so she was being nonchalant….”_Wait a minute! _It was getting much harder to keep his equanimity with this tech who seemed to be so intimate with all the details of Wilma’s life.And that ‘arrogant’ crack!_Who died and made this woman my conscience?_“And who are you, by the way, that you seem to know so much about Wilma and about me?Enough to be more than a little obtrusive.”** ****

**  
**

**The med tech gave a Mona Lisa smile.“I guess that’s a fair question, Captain.I am Nora Deering, Wilma’s aunt.I am on call for the bio-hazard team and when I found out that Wilma was the carrier of the contagion, I put myself down on the roster to be her critical care tech.”She glanced at her niece and then turned back to Buck.“No, Wilma often confided in me.”She looked again at Wilma, lying peacefully on the bed.“You just made my niece a very happy woman, Captain.”She paused and looked meaningfully at Buck. “Or was Wilma right?”** ****

**  
**

**Buck paused, feeling like a suspected warlock during the Inquisition.“Right?Oh, no, I really admire Wilma.I mean . . . look, I don’t really know what will happen in the future, but I do want to get to….”Then he stopped, embarrassed.“What am I standing here for?I have a job to do!”Again, she was giving him that enigmatic smile.Buck was thankful that Wilma wasn’t more like this guardian aunt of hers.**

**  
**

**“Captain Rogers, I would really appreciate it if you didn’t repeat our conversation to Wilma.”** ****

**  
**

**That suited him fine.“Uh, sure.And ditto.”**

**  
**

**“What?”** ****

**  
**

**“I would appreciate your discretion as well,” he elaborated.“I mean, this really is between Wilma and I,” Buck said, fixing her with a hard gaze.** ****

**  
**

**Her voice and demeanor softened.“Thanks and I understand.And by the way, if Wilma wakes up before you return, when shall I tell her you are coming back to see her?”** ****

**  
**

**“When I shove an asteroid sized hockey puck down Foreenizor’s throat.And you can quote me.”And with that he pivoted and strode out of the room, not believing that he had almost bared his soul to a virtual stranger, relative of a friend or not.**

**  
**

**================================**

**  
**

**Foreenizor gazed at the reports that Jreeshnar had gathered for him.Most were from news vids, speculating at what secret the Directorate was keeping from the public, speculating as to why travel to and from Earth was suddenly and drastically curtailed.He looked up in satisfaction.Jreeshnar was watching him from across the table.“It has begun, Jreeshnar.Soon they will close their defensive shield and the virus will really begin to do its deadly job.”**

**  
**

**“Yes, Doctor.How long do you think it will take?”** ****

**  
**

**“Several weeks, maybe a bit more.The beauty of all this is that it will probably be blamed on a holocaulistic mutated virus,” Foreenizor said.“I only wish I knew how extensive it has spread so far.Then we could make more accurate projections.”**

**  
**

**“Sir, what if someone with the virus leaves before the shield is closed?Won’t they spread the contagion to other terrans in the galaxy?”** ****

**  
**

**Foreenizor looked sharply at his assistant.“It is unlikely, but if that is the case, then we can intercept them . . . for the good of the galaxy, of course.And we will get our information at the same time.”**

**  
**

**Jreeshnar nodded and stood.“I will continue to monitor the Earth communications.”He walked out to the main bridge of the ship and was met by Breearth and Mreesa.**

**  
**

**“Sir, we are worried.There seems to be something happening on the planet.We have tried to contact Wilma Deering and even the Directorate and we continually get our messages returned.We have heard rumors of something terrible going on.Do you have any information?” Breearth asked.** ****

**  
**

**Jreeshnar paused.“I have heard the same rumors, but the communications I have received from Earth have not indicated anything of a serious nature.I will continue to try to contact someone from the Directorate.As soon as I do, I will let you know.”** ****

**  
**

**“Thank you, sir.We have prepared everything we need to begin working on the first floratat, but we can’t get clearance to begin the work,” Mreesa said.** ****

**  
**

**“I will do what I can,” Jreeshnar said in dismissal.The two floratat designers nodded and left.**

**  
**

**Jreeshnar checked the communications bands and found basically the same rumors coming from all the cities.Then he saw a craft leaving New Chicago.The specifications showed it to be an alien craft, not one of the Directorate’s starfighters, but more importantly, as soon as it was safely above the exosphere of Earth, his computer showed a closing of the defensive shield and a sub-light warning to all approaching Earth.He activated the communication panel and attempted contact with the ship.**

**  
**

**=========================**

**  
**

_ **Aunt, indeed** _ **, Buck thought.His Aunt Marla had been the biggest gossip in Chicago.She had darn near had him married off to Jennifer before his launch.Buck was ready to kick himself for losing control, but then he remembered Nora Deering’s words, ‘you made my niece a very happy woman.’That was basically what he wanted to do anyway.That and comfort her in her misery.But it still didn’t make him feel any better that he did it in front of that med tech relative of hers.He stalked into his room.**

**  
**

**“Was Wilma awake?” Hawk asked, puzzled by the array of emotions he was seeing on his friend’s face.** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, and we talked for a few minutes until she fell asleep again.And I talked to her nurse, too.”** ****

**  
**

**“Then you know?” Hawk asked.** ****

**  
**

**“Know what?That she’s getting better?” he asked, still thinking about bossy aunts and irritating med techs.“Yeah, I know she’s getting better.”** ****

**  
**

**“She almost died, Buck.Njobo’s medicine kept her alive until the prototype serum was developed,” Hawk explained.** ****

**  
**

**Buck stood silent for a moment, stunned by the revelation.“The Lagrithians developed that virus for maximum effect in minimum time.And it worked even faster on her than it did on me,” Buck said, also muttering a few vile epitaphs under his breath, feeling the heat of his anger growing again.Then he clamped down on his emotions.Now was not the time to waste time and energy on useless anger.Now, more than ever, Buck was determined to do what he had been half-planning on doing ever since Hawk had found him.Now was the time for action.“Hawk, where is Twiki and Theo?”** ****

**  
**

**“I would assume they are with Dr. Huer,” Hawk replied.“What have you got on your mind?”** ****

**  
**

**“A visit to the Lagrithian ship.But I’ll need your help to make it work.”** ****

**  
**

**Njobo stirred and sat up, blinking in the artificial light.He gazed at Buck.“You are better, Buck!” he exclaimed happily.**

**  
**

**Buck nodded, knowing that Njobo could not understand him.** ****

**  
**

**“You can speak to me now.The _mangese_, Dr. Huer, gave me the same type of thing that allowed you to understand me.It’s magic now lets me understand everybody.”**

**  
**

**Buck smiled.“Hey, that’s great, Njobo.You have a good sleep?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, Buck, but a hut is more comfortable, do you not agree?”** ****

**  
**

**“Um, no comment, Njobo,” Buck replied.“I am going to pay a visit to the Lagrithians, the madmen, so you’ll need to wait here with Theo and Twiki until I get back.”**

**  
**

**Njobo looked alarmed.“But isn’t that dangerous?”** ****

**  
**

**“Not if I do it right.”** ****

**  
**

**“Perhaps you had better explain this plan you have included me in,” Hawk said sardonically.“And then I can tell you if it has even a slight chance of success.”** ****

**  
**

**“Basically, I want to surprise Foreenizor. I want to show him he failed.That’s it, a simple confrontation.Dr. Huer has been in contact with the Galactic Council, but I still want the satisfaction of facing the Lagrithians myself.”**

**  
**

**“I agree with Njobo. It is an unnecessary risk.Let the Council take care of it,” Hawk replied.** ****

**  
**

**“Hawk, didn’t you tell me that your father in law had appealed to the Galactic Council, or its equivilant, some years ago.And didn’t you tell me that he was essentially ignored.And that was when your people decided to live far from civilization?And to have as little to do with humans as you possibly could?Telling me to let the Council take care of it seems a bit strange coming from someone for whom the Council didn’t do squat,” Buck said tersely.“But personally, I really don’t care if it’s risky or not. I know what the Lagrithians put me through, and I saw what they have put Wilma through and I want them to see that they can’t kill us.The Holocaust didn’t break us and the Lagrithians sure as hell can’t either.”By now Buck’s eyes were blazing with anger.“Are you helping me or do I go it alone?”** ****

**  
**

**Hawk remembered his people’s struggle to survive in an increasingly bigoted world, and the indifference of the Galactic Council and felt chagrined at his suggestion.Risky or not, Buck was right.“You are right, of course, Buck, on both counts.I was only worried about you doing this so soon after your illness.I think I need to go with you in order to keep you from killing the Lagrithian leader.Somehow, I do not think the Directorate would like that if you did.”** ****

**  
**

**“That’s not a bad idea, Hawk,” Buck said with a slightly feral smile.“But I certainly won’t entertain that thought until I found out why they did this.”** ****

**  
**

**“When do you want to go?”** ****

**  
**

**“Now.”** ****

**  
**

**“Now?” Hawk asked, and then realized that he shouldn’t be surprised.“But the doctor said you weren’t fully recovered.”** ****

**  
**

**“I’m recovered enough to do this,” Buck retorted.Njobo looked from one man to the other like a spectator at a tennis match.“So are you still coming?” Buck asked Hawk.** ****

**  
**

**“Of course, Buck.That was never an issue.Only your health and I see that is not an issue either.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck pressed the communications button.When a voice responded, he ordered, “This is Captain Rogers.Send the drone, Twiki, to my room.I would like to see Dr. Theopolis of the computer council as well.”Then he thought of something else.“Oh, and bring me a new uniform.”** ****

**  
**

**Only then did Buck see the tray by his bed.His stomach did a double take.“Dinner?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, Buck.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck looked at Hawk and Njobo.“You two had something to eat?”** ****

**  
**

**“I have, but Njobo was still asleep,” Hawk said.** ****

**  
**

**Buck lifted the lid on the tray and was astonished at how appetizing it looked.Steam rose and hit him in the face.This was definitely an improvement on twentieth century hospital food.“Come and help me eat it, Njobo,” Buck invited.He sat on the edge of his bed and picked up a fork, then he began thinking of the confrontation with Foreenizor.Suddenly the food didn’t seem so appetizing.Dutifully, Buck swallowed a bite of syntha beefsteak and then picked at the rest.**

**  
**

**The door slid open and Twiki and Theo arrived with his uniform.“What do you have in mind, Buck?” Theo asked.**

**  
**

**“I see Dr. Huer isn’t with you.Is he feeling all right?”**

**  
**

**“He has a mild case of what you had, but it precluded him coming to see you himself.”** ****

**  
**

**Twiki handed him the uniform.**

**  
**

**“Thanks, Twiki.”Buck turned his attention to Theo.“Did Dr. Huer get a chance to leak any of that news I was talking to him about yesterday?”** ****

**  
**

**“No, Buck, but there have been rumors flying on the vid casts that the Lagrithians could easily have picked up.”** ****

**  
**

**“Great!”** ****

**  
**

**“What do you have in mind, Buck?” Theo repeated.**

**  
**

**Buck picked at his dinner a little longer and then gave it to Njobo.“Only if you promise not to tell me how sick I still am, Theo.I’m still going to follow through and nothing you can say will stop me.”Theo only blinked and Buck took that as an affirmative.He detailed what he had in mind.** ****

**  
**

**“Surely you cannot be serious?”**

**  
**

**“Surely I am.”** ****

**  
**

**“But what if the Lagrithians do something drastic?” Theo asked.** ****

**  
**

**“Then I’ll do something equally drastic.”Buck paused and pondered. “I am not sure just what we’ll do if Foreenizor gets ugly.And I really don’t care what the galactic mucky mucks do with him and his cohorts when I’m done.I have to confront them.”**

**  
**

**“I think I understand, Buck.I am just worried about you.I was with you through your sickness.”** ****

**  
**

**“Theo,” Buck said, exasperated.“I am all right!I am going to do this and then I’m going to take Wilma to City by the Sea and treat her to a real fish dinner.None of this syntha stuff.”** ****

**  
**

**“Very well, Buck.”** ****

**  
**

**While they were talking Buck changed behind a partition.He was chagrined to note that the uniform was a bit loose, but that wouldn’t affect what he was about to do.When he finished, he turned to Hawk.“You ready?”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, Buck. I am finding myself somewhat interested in meeting these people.And I am going to enjoy the reaction when they discover that you have foiled their plans.”**


	22. Confrontation

**  
**

**“Theo,” Buck turned to the quad hanging from Twiki’s neck. “Tell Dr. Huer’s contact that he can have the Lagrithians in about three hours, but until then, please don’t make contact with them. As soon as Hawk and I are clear, close the shield.”** ****

**  
**

**“That should not be a problem, Buck,” Theo informed him.“Travel has already been severely restricted to and from Earth,” Theo said.**

**  
**

**“Thanks, pal.I owe you one,” Buck said, as he waved to Njobo and walked out of his room.Hawk followed.** ****

**  
**

**“Actually it’s more like owing me about two hundred and forty seven,” Theo said to Buck’s retreating back.Twiki beeped in surprise.** ****

**  
**

**At the launch bay, Hawk meticulously went through his pre-flight routine, while Buck found a helmet.**

**  
**

**“Are you going to take a weapon, Buck?” Hawk asked as he climbed in.**

**  
**

**“No, Hawk, I am counting on surprise being my best weapon.”** ****

**  
**

**Hawk’s communicator beeped.When he opened the link, a somewhat under the weather Dr. Huer greeted them.Buck leaned forward so the Directorate leader could see him.**

**  
**

**“I can’t say that I totally agree with your tactics, Buck, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t expect it,” Huer said.“And I suspect that if I was feeling better, I would be right up there along side you.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck smiled grimly.“Sorry you got this, too, Doc.And thanks for the support.You know this is something I have to do.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, and apparently your timing is going to work out well.Delegate Krinshgoran told me a Galactic Council ship is on its way.I have arranged with him to have you signal when you are ready for the ship to come through the stargate and arrest the Lagrithians.”** ****

**  
**

**“What kind of signal, Doc?We most likely won’t be near Hawk’s ship,” he said somewhat impatiently.Now that he had decided on this action, Buck was very eager to get it under way.** ****

**  
**

**“An aide is bringing one for you or Hawk to carry.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck nodded.“As long as it doesn’t tip them off, I’m okay with it,” he replied.** ****

**  
**

**“It’s a special device.With a similar instrument, the delegate was able to communicate with the council without arousing the Lagrithian’s suspicions,” Huer explained.** ****

**  
**

**“Right, Doc.As soon as we get the device, we’re out of here.”** ****

**  
**

**“Good luck, Buck.And be careful.”** ****

**  
**

**Within minutes, Dr. Huer’s aide had delivered the tiny transmitter and Hawk took it.“I will be responsible for this, Buck.I suspect you will be very preoccupied.”** ****

**  
**

**“Thanks, Hawk.Now let’s head for our rendezvous.”** ****

**  
**

**As they streaked toward space, Hawk asked, “What if they do not request us to land on their ship?”** ****

**  
**

**“Hawk, if I was still a betting man, I’d lay a wager down on that very question and I’d clean up.They have only been hearing rumors.Foreenizor is probably aching to get his hands on some real information,” Buck replied, his voice confidant.** ****

**  
**

**“We are outside the defensive shield now,” Hawk informed his friend.As if on cue, a voice came over the communicator warning ships away from Earth.And then a signal came from the Lagrithian ship.“Remind me to never play a game of chance with you, my friend,” Hawk added as he reached for the communicator.He heard Buck’s soft laughter in the back seat.** ****

**  
**

**Shortly, they were on the main hangar bay, the one where Buck had begun his fateful journey over a week before.He took a deep breath and hoped he could pull off this surprise without resorting to any violence.Hawk undogged the hatch and stood up to greet the Lagrithians.As Buck expected, he saw Foreenizor striding into the room, his fingers moving in what Buck could only suppose was anticipation.Keeping his head lowered, he climbed out after Hawk.**

**  
**

**“We welcome you to our ship,” Foreenizor said.He gazed at Buck, puzzled.“You are a Defense Directorate starfighter pilot.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck lowered his voice slightly.“Does my status preclude me wanting to get away from a sure death?I had no intention of staying down there.Paid the birdman to smuggle me out.Near thing, too.Sickness everywhere.Only aliens are immune.Killed thousands already.”Buck saw Foreenizor’s long, slender fingers quiver and he knew he had the Lagrithian hooked.He reached up to pull off his helmet, but hesitated.Foreenizor wasn’t quite close enough.“But just as long as I’m not down there,” Buck growled.“I won’t get that death virus.”** ****

**  
**

**Foreenizor’s face showed quick, almost instant pleasure before he hid his emotions.Buck had to work at clamping down his own emotions, furious at the reaction the alien was showing to the possibility of misery to so many.**

**  
**

**Hawk stood back, watching carefully.He noted who was armed and who was not.Foreenizor studied Buck carefully as though trying to figure out something, but as yet there was no recognition on the Lagrithian’s face.Rocking lightly on the balls of his feet, Hawk continued to watch carefully.** ****

**  
**

**“You do realize that since there seems to be a plague situation on Earth and since you came from Earth, you will have to stay here under quarantine until it is determined you do not have this virus,” Foreenizor said.“For the protection of other terrans in the galaxy.”** ****

**  
**

**“Too late, Freenizor.I was the first,” Buck said coldly, jerking off his helmet and dropping it to the deck.Before anyone could move or say anything, Buck grabbed the doctor by the front of his jacket and shoved him back against a wall.Gasps of astonishment accompanied the realization of who he was.Foreenizor’s nut-brown countenance paled and his eyes widened.His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.** ****

**  
**

**“Yeah, you remember me, right Foreenizor?It’s me, Buck Rogers, the one you tried to use to destroy the Earth.”Buck heard movement behind him.“Cover me, Hawk.”** ****

**  
**

**“Already doing that, my friend,” the birdman replied.**

**  
**

**“Thanks.”Buck never took his eyes from the Lagrithian’s.“What were you hoping to accomplish, Foreenizor?What did you want so badly that you were willing to submit millions of men, women and children to a hideously painful death?”** ****

**  
**

**A laser pistol fired and Buck heard a body hit the floor.He only hoped the stricken individual wasn’t Hawk.**

**  
**

**As though reading his mind, Hawk said, “I am fine, Buck.Someone was trying to test my skills with a pistol.”** ****

**  
**

**He heard a nearby door slide open and then shut.“Hawk, they’re sending reinforcements!” he shouted.Hawk’s pistol fired again and Buck heard the crackling of burnt circuits.He turned his full attention back to Foreenizor.“What was it, Foreenizor?What was so bloody important that you had to send me through hell to get it?”** ****

**  
**

**The Lagrithian mumbled something.“All right,” he said.“All right.I’ll tell you.”**

**  
**

**Buck relinquished his hold slightly and Foreenizor exploded into surprising action, pushing Buck back and slapping at him.While momentarily surprised, Buck recovered quickly, his right leg shooting out in a kick that connected with his victim’s stomach, and left him choking and gasping.**

**  
**

**“Buck, watch out.To your right!”Hawk’s laser flashed several more times, while Buck pivoted in time to meet the attack of a Lagrithian guardsman.This man had more martial arts knowledge than Foreenizor and was more formidable.Buck jumped back from what would have been a roundhouse punch had it connected, and then he threw a punch of his own, followed by a kick to the Lagrithian’s midsection.Another guardsman tackled him, hitting him in the face and throwing Buck to the deck, stunning him momentarily.His attacker sat on his chest, making it hard for Buck to breathe.The guardsman drew himself up to throw another punch and was hit solidly with a laser stun blast.Buck even felt the effects of that one.**

**  
**

**Looking around, he saw no one else seemingly willing to attack.Most of the people left standing were watching in stunned silence, including Mreesa and Breearth.Hawk held several guardsmen at bay.**

**  
**

**Buck saw Foreenizor trying to slink away during the commotion, but his escape was blocked by the two floratat designers.Still a bit shaky from the near laser blast and the brief fight, Buck got to his feet.He saw the Lagrithian leader trying to take something from Mreesa and realized in horror that it was a small laser pistol.Resolve gave him the impetus to quickly cross the ten feet separating him from the alien and jerk him away from the women.Buck spun Foreenizor around and, with a backhanded slap, knocked him to the deck.**

**  
**

**“Buck!” Mreesa said.He glanced up and saw the floratat designer tossing him her laser pistol.“You might need it,” she said.** ****

**  
**

**He nodded his thanks and turned back to Foreenizor, kneeling beside him and resting the end of the laser’s barrel against the doctor’s forehead.Buck’s other hand rested on the Lagrithian’s throat.His fingers curled around Foreenizor’s neck.He squeezed slightly, wanting to choke the life out of the Lagrithian doctor, but he restrained himself.Buck only tightened his grip enough to let the alien feel his anger and resolve. “What Foreenizor?Give me the justification for Wilma’s suffering, for mine?”Foreenizor pawed at his hand, but it was as though all of Buck’s energy had flowed to his fingers.The grip was steel hard and the alien could not break the Earthman’s hold.“What was it?” Buck hissed.** ****

**  
**

**“No, no!” Foreenizor choked out.“It was the directive. Earth was perfect.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck relinquished his hold on the doctor’s throat only enough to let Foreenizor talk more easily.The laser pistol never wavered.“What directive?And Earth was perfect for what?”** ****

**  
**

**“Perfect water composition.And gases,” Foreenizor said hoarsely.**

**  
**

**Buck cried out in his rage.His fingers tightened slightly before he regained some semblance of composure.“Water!” he exclaimed, his voice rising in his indignation.“Who made you Earth’s judge, jury and executioner?”With a cold deadly voice, he added, “Who the hell made you God to decide whether humans are more or less important than a pool of water?”Buck felt the light touch of a gloved hand on his shoulder and almost swung the pistol around until he realized who it was.**

**  
**

**Hawk’s voice was low and soothing, with the effect of pulling him away from his fiery rage.“Buck, the federation ship has just come through the stargate and will be docking alongside this ship in ten minutes.”** ****

**  
**

**Slowly, Buck released his hold on Foreenizor’s throat and stood up.His hands were trembling, whether from the effects of his activities or from his anger, he didn’t know.With the pistol still trained on the Lagrithian, Buck said in a voice loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, “Foreenizor, you don’t know much about humans or you would know that the human spirit can’t be killed by a virus.And know also that humans don’t roll over and play dead when they come up against something overwhelming.If they did, we’d have been gone five hundred years ago.”** ****

**  
**

**Foreenizor continued to lie on the ground, staring at Buck, almost as though the terran was a ghost.“How?” he finally said, “how did you survive?”**

**  
**

**“Friends, Foreenizor.My friends didn’t give up on me.”** ****

**  
**

**“But the virus.You were in a wilderness area.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck laughed mirthlessly.“You picked the wrong boy to practice medicine on.You developed the contagion for present day humans.You developed it pretty much from Wilma’s blood, didn’t you?Fifty-fifty chance and you blew it, Doc.I was born over five hundred years ago, before the Great Holocaust.Terrans have changed a tiny bit since then.”Seeing Foreenizor’s stricken look, he continued.“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I was sick, sick enough to want to die, but I didn’t.I survived and returned to New Chicago in time for the doctors to develop a serum.”** ****

**  
**

**The Lagrithian began to cry, his tears splashing to the deck.**

**  
**

**“You lost, Foreenizor.You lost big time.”Buck heard a shuttle coming to rest behind him, but he continued to hold the pistol on the Lagrithian.There was still a tiny part of him that wanted his finger to tighten on the firing button, but he only continued to watch the alien doctor grovel at his feet.The temptation and the anger slowly drained away.Buck only felt exhaustion . . . and an overwhelming desire to go home.** ****

**  
**

**“Captain Buck Rogers?” a voice asked behind him.** ****

**  
**

**Buck turned toward the voice and saw a dark, green-skinned Pinzorian.“Yes, I’m Captain Rogers.”** ****

**  
**

**“We will take charge of the Lagrithian prisoners now.We appreciate what you, Dr. Huer and Hawk have done to uncover this,” the Pinzorian said.**

**  
**

**Buck nodded, handing him the pistol.It had suddenly become very heavy.“I think only Dr. Foreenizor and a few of his cohorts were in on this plot.Most of the Lagrithians, such as these floratat designers, had no idea what was going on,” Buck said, indicating Breearth and Mreesa.“Oh, and the good doctor, here, mentioned a directive.I think you may want to check out the heads of the Lagrithian government.This directive seems to have come from them.”** ****

**  
**

**“I am sure the Council will do that.”** ****

**  
**

**“Good.”Buck turned and began to walk toward Hawk’s ship.**

**  
**

**“Buck,” Breearth called out.**

**  
**

**Buck stopped and turned toward the floratat designer.She walked up to him, Mreesa right behind her.** ****

**  
**

**“Thank you,” Breearth said.** ****

**  
**

**“What for?” Buck asked.** ****

**  
**

**“For believing that we wouldn’t be a part of such a hideous plot.”**

**  
**

**He saw the woman’s sad face and said, “I saw you and I saw your reactions.And I remembered the time we spent together.And besides, Foreezinor apparently didn’t talk to you because if he did, he’d have known about my background.No, I didn’t think you could be part of this.”** ****

**  
**

**Breearth smiled.“I am glad you didn’t die, Buck Rogers.”** ****

**  
**

**“So am I,” Buck answered, laughing.And this time it was a laugh of joy and of closure.He was genuinely happy.**

**  
**

**“Good-bye, Buck,” she said, leaning toward him, her hands outstretched.Understanding the custom, Buck held his hands out and intertwined his fingers with Breearth’s.The gesture of respect was repeated with Mreesa.**

**  
**

**“Come back when this is all settled, Breearth, Mreesa,” Buck said, slowly pulling away.He turned and walked toward Hawk’s starfighter, retrieving his helmet on the way.**

**“Let’s go home, Hawk,”**


	23. Wilma and Buck

**  
**

**Again, Buck stood outside Wilma’s door.He had been astonished at the length of time he had spent with the federation representatives on board their ship answering questions.Having just arrived back in New Chicago, Buck found that it was already morning._But then if I listened to my body, I would have known what time it was,_ Buck thought.He was totally exhausted, but didn’t bother with sleep or breakfast; he just wanted to see if Wilma was better.**

**  
**

**This time when the door opened, Wilma’s aunt stepped out to meet him. She folded her arms and smiled her Mona Lisa smile.Buck knew Wilma was recovering rather well; he had taken the time to ask Theo that question on the way back to New Chicago.“So what did I do now to deserve the hallway greeting?” he asked sardonically.** ****

**  
**

**Nora Deering laughed lightly.“Nothing really.I gave Wilma your message, and, although neither of us had the slightest idea of what a hockey puck is, she understood enough to worry about you.She finally fell asleep a couple of hours ago.”**

**  
**

**Buck nodded, knowing how much his body had craved sleep when he was fighting the virus.Even now, he felt ready to crash on the nearest corner of the floor.“Any chance of seeing her.For just a few minutes?”** ****

**  
**

**“If you promise not to wake her.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck took a deep breath.“If I promise, can I see her privately?”** ****

**  
**

**Nora laughed.“Now what would you do privately with someone who’s sound asleep?” she teased.Before Buck could say anything, she added, “Yes, in fact, Wilma is out of danger and knowing you might come by, I was going to ask if you would mind staying with her while I take a break.You know, stay with her just in case.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck’s eyes widened in surprise.He wasn’t expecting that concession, at least not from Wilma’s aunt.“Uh, sure.Gladly.”** ****

**  
**

**“I assumed you’d say that.I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck smiled in relief._Finally!_“Take your time.Wilma will be in good hands.”** ****

**  
**

**Nora’s mouth quirked and she gave Buck a funny look.“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she said, turning and walking down the corridor.“Oh, and nice shiner,” she added.**

**  
**

**He touched the bruise under his left eye.For a brief moment, Buck pondered this latest battle he had lost against this woman.He could only conclude that he had met his match, as he pushed the access button and entered Wilma’s room.Suddenly, it dawned on him what she had meant and what he had said and he paused in silent embarrassment.Then his embarrassment turned into amusement and he smiled._Let Nora Deering believe what she wants_.Buck stood by Wilma’s bed.The soft light in the room accentuated her features and for a few minutes Buck stood silently watching as she slept.He pondered how things had changed in the scant space of a little over a week and was glad that she was sleeping.It gave him a chance to sort through things.Not that anything he had said the day before had changed; he really did feel something special for Wilma Deering.It was simply that he didn’t know how to deal with it.Even though Buck had relinquished the sometimes iron tight grip of his past and it no longer haunted him, he was still a child of the twentieth century, a product of the previous thirty-two plus years of his life.He couldn’t change that, nor did he really want to.**

**  
**

**He had been accused of rushing into danger, but he didn’t want to rush into something as important and as permanent as marriage.And he did consider marriage as something permanent.That was why he had not rushed into marrying Jennifer, even though several of his friends and relatives and hers as well had pushed them to do so.Buck knew that Jennifer had wanted that, too.But there was something that had held him back.Even now as he compared Jennifer to Wilma, he could see differences.He had promised Jennifer he would quit the space program after the Ranger mission was over, but had he really wanted to?Would he have been happy on the ground after he had returned?At the time he thought so.But now?** ****

**  
**

**No, in retrospect, he didn’t think he would have been happy, at least not after a while.Buck remembered how quickly he had jumped at the opportunity to join the _Searcher_ crew.It afforded him even more chances to explore different places, worlds; to fly, to see things he could not have even dreamed possible five hundred years ago.Of course, had there never been a mishap on the Ranger, he wouldn’t have known what it was like to fly through a black hole/vortex, never have experienced a star gate, met all of the peoples he had met.Maybe because of that he would have been happy with his feet firmly planted on the ground, but who knows?The holocaust happened and with it went millions of dreams and hopes.He considered himself a very lucky man, having this second chance . . . a second chance at everything.** ****

**  
**

**He gazed back down at Wilma and brought his mind back to his comparison between Wilma and Jennifer.The simple fact was that Wilma accepted him pretty much as he was.**

**  
**

**Wilma smiled softly in her sleep and Buck smiled with her._How much do I love her? _he asked himself._Is it something like the filial, mutual respect bonds he had allowed during the past year and a half?Or is it the romantic kind of love that he was sure Wilma felt?The kind of love he had had with Jennifer._His hand hovered over hers and he felt something stirring inside him.He felt happy to be close to her, to be in the same room._It is at least something in-between the two_, he thought and was content.A loving relationship had to be built on respect and he and Wilma had plenty of that for each other.**

**  
**

**Regardless, Buck didn’t want to push something potentially wonderful and exciting into a realm of regret.He had seen it with his brother and vowed never to go through a relationship like that, even if that meant he never got married.Frank had known, been positive, would never have doubted his love for his high school sweetheart.They had courted, become engaged, married and divorced within two years.The delirious happiness had turned to bitter ashes within the first year after their vows.Frank and his sweetheart had fought as bitterly as they had loved.Buck knew there was more than what he had been privy to about that relationship, but what he had seen had made him decide that he would be totally sure before he made a commitment like that.And so, for ten years, he had not made any commitments at all.** ****

**  
**

**Buck relaxed on the lounge chair in the corner of Wilma’s room.It was not big enough for him when he stretched out, so he tried to find a more comfortable position on his side.He smiled, remembering his solution to avoiding his brother’s fate.He had played the field during his Air Force days, sometimes fast and loose, and he had received the label as a ladies’ man. Somehow, without trying to, even here in the twenty-fifth century, women seemed to be attracted to him.While it was flattering, it was also disconcerting at times.**

**  
**

**Despite how uncomfortable the chair was, Buck found himself dozing, but he didn’t fight it.As he fell asleep, he hoped that Wilma would understand how he felt.He didn’t want to hurt her.Heaven knew how much he had done that in the past, all those times he had rebuffed her advances.He fell into a deep and exhausted sleep, thinking about what a special woman Wilma was and how grateful he was to have been able to get to know her.** ****

**  
**

**=======================**

**Wilma woke to the smell of a very hearty breakfast and her Aunt Nora standing next to her bed, a broad, conspiratorial grin on her face.Making a motion to not say anything, Nora pointed to the lounge chair in the corner.Looking past her aunt, Wilma was astonished to see Buck curled up on the chair, fast asleep.Or curled up as much as it was possible for someone his size to curl up on one of the guest chairs.**

**  
**

**“Let him sleep,” Nora whispered.“When he came by a few hours ago, he looked exhausted.I decided to take pity on him and let him stay even though I knew your sleeping prince was ready for a long nap.”**

**  
**

**Wilma noticed the bruise under one eye.“He’s all right, isn’t he?” she asked softly.**

**  
**

**Nora smiled and nodded.“Apparently there was a slight altercation on the Lagrithian ship.But aside from the trophy of the schoolyard scuffle, he only needed sleep that he had been depriving himself of.He’s not totally over this, you know, even if Captain Buck Rogers thinks he is.I’ve also ordered his breakfast brought here for him when he wakes up.And I have left word that you are not to be disturbed.I will be in later to give you your next dose of medicine, but in the meantime, I think you and Captain Rogers have a little bit to discuss when he awakens.” Nora said in a matronly voice.She leaned over and gently kissed her niece on the forehead.** ****

**  
**

**“Don’t let him sleep too long or by the time he wakes up, you’ll be ready to sleep.”She turned to go and then paused.“Oh, and don’t push too hard, Wilma.Just because you already know what he hasn’t quite figured out yet, don’t rush anything.”** ****

**  
**

**Wilma sat up in her bed, alternately gazing at Buck and down at her breakfast.He looked so peaceful, she hated to wake him up rattling her dishes around, but somehow she didn’t think that would disturb him.And if it did, she’d simply share it with him.**

**  
**

**As she ate, she pondered her aunt’s words.Don’t push.Frustratingly enough, she didn’t think she had, and then Wilma realized Nora meant.She meant pushing now—now that Buck was seeing things a bit differently._Buck Rogers, you are so exasperating!You seem so comfortable around women, all women.But only up to a point. _He said he had left the past behind, truly left it behind, but how could someone born and raised five hundred years in the past completely leave his past behind?He was ready to become a full citizen of this century, but his psyche, everything about him was couched in his previous life.That was part of what made Buck Rogers exciting and what had allowed him to save Earth not once but several times.**

**  
**

**No, she loved him with all the passion of her being, but she would feel him out, go with their relationship as fast or as slow as he wanted or was willing.She would not lose him because he felt forced into something he was not ready for.**

**  
**

**As she drank her coffee, Wilma laughed softly.Here she was, thinking like someone with experience and she was a twenty-eight year old bachelorette practically married to her job, only having a few prior relationships, none of which were stellar.**

**  
**

**Buck stirred and yawned, stretching and then coming to full wakefulness when he almost fell off the chair.**

**  
**

**Wilma couldn’t help herself; she began giggling.He gazed at her sleepily, groaning softly as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.**

**  
**

**Wilma’s amusement changed to concern.“Are you all right?”** ****

**  
**

**“Getting old, Wilma.Too old for this crap,” he said with a wry grin. Then he, too, became serious.“How about you?Hear you were pretty sick.”** ****

**  
**

**“Yes,” she said, putting her cup down on the table next to her bed.Her eyes filled with remembrance.“How did you bear it, Buck?Out there without a hospital or….”She paused and looked at her hands.“If I had only known.”** ****

**  
**

**“I had Njobo and Twiki and Theo.I was very fortunate.And I don’t remember everything.”Buck got up, still stretching, and strode over to her bed.“And if you had known you would have found me and gotten sick.”He paused.“But you got sick anyway.”He gazed into her eyes, his countenance filled with deep sadness.“Wilma, I am so sorry I didn’t get some kind of warning to you.That you had to go through this.”His voice lowered almost to a whisper.“I’m sorry.”** ****

**  
**

**She took his hand and stroked it.“Buck, please, there is nothing to be sorry about.You did what you had to do.”She felt tears forming in her eyes and blinked, trying to control herself.Her focus on him wavered and then, as she blinked again, came into sharp clarity.“Buck, when I thought you were dead, I . . . I thought everything worthwhile in my life had gone with you.I . . . I’m sorry, Buck.I don’t mean to be so emotional.I . . . just . . . it’s just that before you came, life was so structured, so ordered.”She took a deep breath.“I had accomplished what no other woman in recent history had achieved.I had power and prestige.I commanded hundreds of pilots and had the lives of many thousand people in my hands.I felt good about that, proud of what I had accomplished.”**

**  
**

**“As you have every right to be, Wilma,” Buck interjected.“I dismissed your position as a fluke at first, but I saw quickly that you earned it.You worked your butt off to get that post.Dr. Huer and the Computer Council chose well when they picked you,” he added softly.**

**  
**

**“But I was lonely.Oh, I could have dated all kinds of men, and I did a few, but I always felt they were not being honest with me, or like they didn’t know exactly how to act around me.”She felt a flash of anger at the memory.“I hated that!I want people to be honest even if it hurts.I want people to be themselves.”** ****

**  
**

**“Wilma, sometimes that can be a dangerous wish.”Buck smiled, thinking back on his own memories.“And sometimes a person may not totally know him or herself.”** ****

**  
**

**Wilma looked questioningly at him.She saw how tired Buck still was and she moved over, patting a place on the bed for him to sit down.With a smile, he did so, turning to face her.** ****

**  
**

**“Wilma, I didn’t know myself those first days.I didn’t know you those first days.”**

**  
**

**“But afterward?” Wilma watched Buck and wondered if she was digging into something that he would rather not discuss.** ****

**  
**

**“Part of the time I was on autopilot, Wilma.The other part of the time I was immersed in the wonder and amazing grandeur of this new life of mine.”He paused.“I knew within days what kind of a person you were.I knew that you cared, that you were more than this rock hard leader you presented yourself to be.”Wilma looked ready to bristle and Buck continued.“I didn’t mean that in a derogatory way, Wilma.The best commanders have to put on a rock hard demeanor to hide the sometimes difficult decisions they have to make.I knew that you cared.Your dedication to Earth told me that….”** ****

**  
**

**“But it’s not enough….”she began.**

**  
**

**Buck held up his hand.“Wilma, it may not have seemed enough then, but it is the foundation for loving an individual.I could see it, Wilma, and it flattered, um, still does flatter me that you focused some of that love of your fellow man to me.”** ****

**  
**

**Wilma felt a sinking inside her, knowing where Buck’s reasoning might be going, but she couldn’t help her feelings.“Buck, I’m sorry, but it wasn’t flattery.It’s real.I love you in all the ways a person can love another person.I love your spontaneity; I love how I feel when I’m around you.I love you no matter how you feel about me.”She stopped suddenly and her eyes widened in shock at her blatant, bold revelation.But now that she had started—“You have made me feel like . . . Buck, you aren’t the only one who emerged from a sort of hibernation.I felt, and feel like a new, fresh person.I love you, Buck Rogers, whether you love me or not.I love you so much that I will not hold you.I will leave you alone if you would prefer.”Her breath caught and she stopped, shocked even further at her words.** ****

**  
**

**Buck looked slightly embarrassed and he said nothing for a moment.Wilma cursed her lack of self-restraint.**

**  
**

**“Wilma, I knew or suspected how you felt for some time, but I couldn’t, wasn’t able to respond.I . . . it wasn’t you.”He reached up with one finger and wiped away a tear.“I have realized how much you love me, Wilma.If in no other way, by the respect you have shown me.You have always been there, caring but not overbearing.You have respected what I am, not what you imagine me to be.And you still are.”He paused and sucked in a deep breath.“Leave me alone?”He smiled softly, his eyes filled with that boyish humor of his, mingled with something else.Wilma said nothing, hoping that what she was seeing was not in her imagination.** ****

**  
**

**“No, Wilma, I don’t want to be left alone, especially not by you.”Now he took her hand, enveloping it in his strong fingers.“Wilma Deering, you are a warm, caring, loving person….”He paused again and laughed as though at a private joke.“Hell, Wilma, right now, I’m trying to see what I found so endearing about Jennifer.She isn’t half the woman you are.”** ****

**  
**

**“What?” Wilma choked out.“What did you say?”** ****

**  
**

**“You heard me,” Buck replied.“I do love you.I love and respect you enough that I don’t want to rush you into anything that you might regret later.”He bent over and kissed her softly and then with more passion.When he pulled back, Wilma still felt the shock of his revelation.** ****

**  
**

**“Wilma, I spent over ten years trying to find a meaningful relationship.I never really did.I mean, well, what I had with Jennifer was real, but I think now, it was never meant to be.I don’t know.I think I have something meaningful now, but I want to be sure.I want to be very, very sure.I have to feel that it’s not only right for me, but more especially, for you, too.I’ve hurt you enough in the past almost two years.I don’t want to hurt you any more.”He looked into her eyes and Wilma felt the tears again.“Will it bother you if we go easy with this relationship?”** ****

**  
**

**Now Wilma smiled.Deep inside, she wished he would ask her to marry him right now, but she would not pressure him.Just for him to acknowledge her feelings was enough for the moment.And to acknowledge his own as well.“No, Buck, it won’t.”She paused and began giggling. **

**  
**

**He cocked his head and asked, “What’s so funny?”** ****

**  
**

**“Oh, Buck, this is a horribly wicked thought.”**

**  
**

**“Go for it.I’ve had a great many wicked thoughts in my life.”** ****

**  
**

**She laughed out loud.“I bet.But I was thinking that you have gone over five hundred and thirty-plus years.What’s another one in the scheme of things?”** ****

**  
**

**Buck just stared for a moment.Then he began laughing heartily and continued laughing until tears rolled down his cheeks.He took Wilma’s hand and raised it to his lips.**

**  
**

**As if on cue the door slid open and Nora Deering came in with a breakfast tray.**

**  
**

**“Is she always this obtrusive?” Buck murmured as he kissed her hand before releasing it.** ****

**  
**

**“If you’re going to woo my niece, Captain Rogers, you need some energy,” Nora said dryly.“And you both need your medicine and a nice long nap.”** ****

**  
**

**“When does the _Searcher_ leave?” Buck grumbled.Wilma laughed merrily.**


	24. Endings and Beginnings

**Several days later, Buck sped back toward the rainforest; this time, the circumstances were much different.This time he had Njobo next to him and Twiki and Theo in the back.He was well, the virus contained.**

**  
**

**“Buck, I hope you return to the Forest someday,” the _BaMbuti_ said.** ****

**  
**

**“I hope so, too, although I will soon be on another journey with the _Searcher_.It may be awhile before I get back.”** ****

**  
**

**“Your _Ndura_ is much bigger than my Forest and even this world.But you carry a small part of the Forest with you.I know you will return when you can,” Njobo said with surety.**

**  
**

**“Yes, I will, Njobo, whenever it’s possible.As will Dr. Huer and Brigadier Gordon,” Buck replied.**

**  
**

**“You said the _mangese_, Dr. Huer, will be able to visit more often,” Njobo said.“I welcome that. As well as visits from my friend, Gor-don.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck was happy an agreement had been reached where the forest people would be allowed to live in peace, only making contact when they chose.Also gratifying was the research that would determine the reason why the forest was spreading and had grown into former wasteland areas.That information might allow the Directorate to reclaim parts of the wasteland on other continents.**

**  
**

**Carefully, Buck set the starfighter into the same clearing his first starfighter had crashed in, seemingly so long ago.Undogging the hatch, Buck shoved it back and stood up.The richness of the vegetation hit him like a wave.It was the scent of heady blooming flowers and decaying vegetation.It was almost overwhelming humidity and heat.Beside him, Njobo cried out his joy and scrambled out of Buck’s starfighter, his face suffused with intense pleasure.Buck smiled, happy for his friend and then followed him.While Njobo had done very well in New Chicago, the star pilot knew that the _BaMbuti_ was living for the day he would return to his home.Buck noticed that vegetation was already beginning to cover the scars of his crash.** ****

**  
**

**“Njobo,” Buck said, interrupting the pygmy’s silent celebration.“You know how grateful the Directorate is for your help in saving Earth.And how grateful they are for allowing access to parts of your forest to help rebuild some of the ravaged areas of Earth.”** ****

**  
**

**“Buck, the Forest wants its children to be happy,” Njobo said, repeating his philosophy.“It is only right for Dr. Huer and his friends to help the Forest grow near New Chicago and for the forest medicines to help your people feel good.”** ****

**  
**

**“I know.And you also know how grateful I am to you for saving my life,” Buck added.Both men stood and listened to the rich sounds, scents and sight of the forest.** ****

**  
**

**“The Song of the Forest,” Njobo said.He paused and looked toward the deep blue sky overhead.“The madmen.I am glad that they can be happy, too.That all of the people of the Ndura above are helping them to purge their madness.”** ****

**  
**

**Buck was also glad that the Galactic Council was so quick to work on a solution to the problem that had led the Lagrithians to take such drastic action against Earth.“Yes, hopefully their problems will be solved and their people saved.”He walked among the new vegetation of the clearing.“I will be leaving Earth soon,” Buck finally said.“But even so, I will never forget you.”** ****

**  
**

**“Nor I, you.”Njobo pulled his _molimo_ out from his pouch and gave it to Buck.“Take this.Sing your songs, the songs of the stars, the forest and wherever you are.And we will both remember.Perhaps we will still share dreams.”** ****

**  
**

**“Thank you, Njobo.This means a lot to me.”Buck felt badly that he didn’t have a gift.**

**  
**

**As though reading his mind, Njobo said, “You have given me much, Buck.I will forever dream and sing the songs of the stars.My family and friends will hear the same songs and they will be happy as well.”** ****

**  
**

**“Thank you,” Buck repeated softly.**

**  
**

**“Let me see your _molimo_ for a moment,” Njobo said, holding his hand out, feeling the great need to make one last song.Putting the instrument to his lips he began to sing, his voice soft and distant.**

**  
**

**To Buck the song seemed far away, like the distant past of his previous life.It reminded him of his home that was, as well as the places among the stars where he had been, far away, but close enough to touch, to carry in his soul.It was a short song, but when Njobo finished, even the forest was subdued for a moment.**

**  
**

**Finally, Njobo handed the _molimo_ back to Buck.He pulled out another _molimo_ he had made while in New Chicago.It was made of plastic, but as Njobo had told Buck, it was the song that counted, the _molimo_ was only the carrier.“Let us sing this song together.Somehow, I feel you may need to sing it someday.Add to it your own song.”**

**  
**

**While Buck was puzzled at Njobo’s request, he didn’t question it.He had only tried out the _molimo_ once and had not felt the same power as when Njobo used it.However, this time when the two men sang together, Buck’s rich tenor mingling with Njobo’s slightly higher pitched voice, he felt something almost as powerful as the _molimo_ dreams he had experienced while he was sick.After they had sung together, Buck repeated the song alone, adding a small melody at the end.While it was not as powerful, Buck still felt a chill go up and down his spine.And the melody and the words stayed vivid in his mind.**

**  
**

**Buck nodded, and kneeling down, embraced the _BaMbuti_, who despite their physical differences, had treated him as he would a brother.Twiki and Theo said their good-byes and the three climbed back into the starfighter, while Njobo watched from the edge of the clearing.As they rose slowly toward the canopy, Buck saw another _BaMbuti_ join Njobo.They waved and then disappeared into the forest.Soon the starfighter was heading west, back to New Chicago.**

**  
**

**=======================**

**  
**

**A week before the departure of the _Searcher_, Buck stood on the edge of a yawning precipice feeling distinctly nervous.It seemed rather ironic to him.Here he was a crack pilot for Earth’s Defense Directorate and had flown aircraft of all sorts in two separate centuries, and now he stood at the top of a thousand foot plus cliff--afraid.**

**  
**

**“Are you going to stand there admiring the magnificence of this splendid view or are you going to join me?” Hawk asked, his mouth quirked in what Buck would have sworn was a half smile.** ****

**  
**

**“Admiration is not exactly what was on my mind and you know it,” Buck replied sardonically.** ****

**  
**

**“Buck, you told me people did something similar in your day.”** ****

**  
**

**“Idiots did something similar in my day, I didn’t!”Buck looked back at Wilma, who was sitting on a rock watching.She was trying very unsuccessfully to contain her amusement.**

**  
**

**Getting up, she walked to the edge, standing near him.“Only a thousand feet, Buck,” she said.“Shouldn’t be any trouble for a starfighter jockey.”She squeezed his hand and helped him put on the quasi-wings.He and Hawk had practiced in the wind chamber in the month since the containment of the virus, as had Wilma, who had not yet been given a medical release to fly over the Grand Canyon.Buck had done well in the chamber, but that was a far cry from this cliff and the butterflies in his stomach, in just the past five minutes, had multiplied one hundred fold.**

**  
**

**“Come, Buck.You promised,” Hawk coaxed.**

**  
**

**Yes, he had, he thought ruefully.With that in mind, he decided he’d better get this over with.Buck checked the gauges and controls.Made sure of the fastenings, took one step and then leaped from the cliff.He and his stomach dropped about fifty feet, and then he moved his arms slightly and the quasi-wings caught the air currents.Buck remembered his leg position and the air currents caught under the wings and lifted him up.He soared up above the cliff and continued to soar for another hundred feet, gently adjusting the angle of the wings with slight movements of his arms and hands.The tiny gauges showed his air speed and altitude.The warm air blew in his face, but the goggles remained snug.**

**  
**

**Buck experimented, banking and locating thermals.He began finding joy in this twenty-fifth century form of hang gliding and wished he had tried it before.Muscles in his arms, shoulders and back stretched as the air currents continued to lift the quasi-wings.** ****

**  
**

**“I told you this was enjoyable, did I not?” Hawk shouted as he flew alongside.** ****

**  
**

**Buck smiled.“You did.”**

**  
**

**But deep inside Hawk felt more than just enjoyment.He felt the freedom of flight that his ancestors had reveled in; he felt the restoration of his soul, a joy transcending anything else.Freedom, wonder, peace.He soared above his friend, whom he observed was discovering a similar joy, as he knew Buck would.Hawk continued to soar higher and higher.He felt the warm air currents caressing his body, almost like fingers of love, and he thought of Koori.He almost moaned, his emotions were so overwhelming._Koori!Oh, Koori!_And he felt the presence of someone beside him.Unseen, but there, nonetheless, and that, too, added to his joy. _Koori._He heard the soft laughter of Koori’s voice in his heart and he laughed with her.Finally, he moved his hands slightly and banked, flying to a lower level where Buck was still getting used to his quasi wings.**

**  
**

**Buck grinned his pleasure, then he, too, banked and plummeted toward the cliff where Wilma stood near the starfighters. Fifty feet above the ground he leveled and found another air current.Buck continued for almost an hour until Hawk convinced him it was time to land.Reluctantly, Buck complied, knowing there’d be hell to pay with sore muscles if he didn’t.Flaring the quasi-wing panels to allow him to dive one last time, he banked at the end of his dive, drew in his legs, at the same time tilting the plane of the quasi-wings to cut his air speed.As he approached the ground, he cut his air speed even more until it was safe to touch ground.As it was, Buck almost fell over.Wilma caught him in a hug, laughing along with him at the awkward landing.**

**  
**

**Hawk landed lightly nearby and deftly shed the wings.He and Wilma helped Buck take off his wings.**

**  
**

**“Now are you glad you came?”Hawk’s smile showed his own intense pleasure of this experience.** ****

**  
**

**“Yes, I admit it.That was exhilarating,” Buck replied, breathlessly.** ****

**  
**

**“And there will be three of us next time,” Wilma exclaimed.“Whether the doctor says I’m ready or not.”** ****

**  
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**“There is no reason why you cannot.Your muscles should be strong enough in a few more days,” Hawk told her.** ****

**  
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**“Of course you will, Wilma,” Buck said, pulling her close in a reassuring hug.**

**  
**

**Several days later two large figures and a slightly smaller one soared over the magnificent east rim of the Grand Canyon celebrating friendship, loyalty, and triumph.They celebrated love and freedom.They celebrated life.**

** The End **


End file.
